Automatic teller machines (ATMs) management

ABSTRACT

An ATM management system providing terminal definition and deployment, cash management, contractual terms and conditions, data recording and reconciliation among separate data entities, income and expense management and overall operational visibility into and controllability of substantially the entire business surrounding multiple ATM terminal installations and multiple partner arrangements related thereto, enabling terminal owners or partners to know how to download and utilize real time data generated at the ATMs per se and make use of it in efficiently managing ATMs.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application takes priority from Provisional ApplicationsSer. Nos. 60/255,985 filed Dec. 15, 2000 and 60/291,864 filed May 18,2001, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference asthough set out at length herein.

FIELD AND BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] This invention relates generally to transactions and servicesmanagement and more particularly to managing all aspects of theoperation of automatic teller machines (ATMs).

[0003] ATMs include but are not limited to cash dispensing machinesdeployed by banks and other proprietors that allow customers to identifythemselves via a bank card or credit card, and obtain cash for a chargeto their account. ATMs were used initially to provide cash dispensingservices to customers during non-banking hours and/or at locations ofconvenience. ATMs have generally been a cost center to banks that offerthe service in order to attract and retain customers.

[0004] The term “ATM” as used herein includes (unless otherwiseindicated for a narrower usage in specific instances) the familiardeployed cash dispensing terminals found in bank branch lobbies and alsoin secure remote locations rented by banks and the underlyinginfrastructure for servicing such terminals. It also includes similarterminals placed in stores and kiosks. It also includes terminals andinfrastructure with other functions such as point-of-sale (POS)terminals, scrip machines and other analogs or extensions of the cashdispensing ATM concept as now known or hereafter revised orsupplemented.

[0005] Scrip machines are a special kind of ATM that operate in asimilar fashion to cash dispensing machines but are cashless, issuing apaper chit that can be taken to the merchant's counter to be exchangedfor cash; they eliminate an expensive component of ATMs, the “rental” ofcash in the machine. Also, the machine itself is less costly because itis not required to be a secure cash dispenser.

[0006] Cash dispensing ATMs were originally installed by banks to allowtheir own customers to conduct certain limited transactions 24 hours perday. These original ATMs were cost centers with no income generationpotential. This surcharging for an ATM cash dispensing transaction wasfirst allowed in the United States in 1996. Banks immediately began tocharge from $1.00 to $3.00 for a withdrawal transaction to ATM users whowere not customers of the bank owning the ATM. Transaction surcharginghas been allowed in foreign countries for many years. In addition, thecost of the ATMs themselves dropped substantially as ATM manufacturersintroduced newer models. The combination of transaction surcharging andlower cost ATMs enabled the ATM business to become a profit center. Manybanks and Independent Service Organizations (ISOs) have placed ATMs atmany locations thought to support a reasonable number of dailytransactions.

[0007] In addition to surcharge revenue, there is an emerging secondarymarket that offers owners of cash dispensing and scrip terminal ATMsadditional revenue opportunities by, for example, surcharging customersfor the dispensing of value-added non-cash items such as phone cards,stamps, and tickets of all kinds; issuing discount coupon receipts paidfor by advertisers; using revenue producing preview movie clips orrolling advertisements playing on a full color monitor while thecustomer is waiting for his or her cash receipt or other transactionfulfillment; or negotiating eye-catching wrap-around advertisements tothe outside of the unit for major consumer products.

[0008] Banks deploy on- and off-premise ATMs. On-premise ATMs are in ornear bank branches and are usually connected to the bank's own privatecommunications network. The entire cost of operation and collection oftransaction surcharge fees is usually kept within bank accountingprocedures. Off-premise ATMs are in public and private locations. Theyfrequently use a dial-up phone connection to conduct a transaction, andinvolve many more parties in the operation and revenue sharingassociated with the ATM. These off-premise ATMs are also owned andmanaged by ISOs who can profit from surcharge fees per transaction.Off-premise ATMs are by far the fastest growing sector of the ATMmarket.

[0009] Scrip terminals are placed in off-premise locations by ISOs.Scrip terminals have long been available but are becoming more popularbecause of their general utility and low cost. Banks, however, aregenerally not interested in deploying scrip terminals because they donot provide a direct benefit to bank customers.

[0010] At this time, there are approximately 350,000 ATMs installed inthe U.S., with over 150 million ATM cards issued by American banks.Approximately, 50,000 new ATMs are expected to be installed each year.In the U.S. there were over 12 billion ATM transactions in 1999. Thesetransactions yielded approximately $4 billion in customer surcharge feesand approximately $1.5 billion in interchange fees between the cardissuers and transaction acquirers involved. Similar numbers apply to theATM market outside of the U.S.

[0011] The rapid deployment of ATMs throughout the U.S. and worldwidehas created a substantial management and operational challenge for thecompanies that own them. For a proprietor, placing ATMs requiresnegotiation of terms and conditions with many partners (for cash cost,merchant site fees, armored car delivery services, maintenancecontracts, and many more). These partners frequently share in the ATMsurcharge and interchange fee income stream. Further, the currentinformation exchange for all aspects of the business among the ATMowners, cash suppliers, transaction processors and armored car cashdelivery services is largely paper-based (versus electronic),labor-intensive and error-prone.

[0012] While the processing of individual card transactions (e.g.authorizing and clearing the transaction) is reliably and securelyhandled by today's on-line transaction processing companies, the costcontrol and management of the ATM and scrip terminal business could befar more efficient. Problem areas include cash management, cashaccounting, service management, contract terms and dates, feemanagement, and profit management which are all handled in a mostlymanual environment today.

[0013] Most cash dispensing ATMs in the U.S. dispense from $30,000 to$300,000 of cash each month. All of this cash must be recovered fromindividual credit or debit accounts that may be located anywhere in theworld, accounted for and returned to the appropriate cash providers, andeventually replaced in the ATM. There are billions of dollars of feesgenerated in this process. These fees come in the form of surcharges andinterchange fees. The surcharge fees are disclosed to and paid by theconsumer, typically whenever the consumer uses any ATM other than thoseof his own bank and requests a cash withdrawal. The surcharge fee isusually around $1.50/transaction. Interchange fees are invisible to theconsumer and are credited to the owner of the ATM that acquired thetransaction and paid by the bank that issued the card that was used toconduct the transaction. Interchange fees are usually around$0.50/transaction and are frequently shared among the various partiesinvolved in conducting the transaction, such as the transactionprocessor, the network processor and the ATM owner. Thus, there isusually a total of about $2.00 of revenue available from most cashwithdrawal transactions.

[0014] Profits from ATMs can be substantial. Poor management controls,however, can diminish or eliminate this potential. Operational costs ofterminals in low transaction sites or expensive service areas may exceedthe fees they generate. In addition, terminal downtime, running out ofcash, ordering too much cash, and paying for too many armored car visitsare all inefficiencies that increase costs and reduce profits. Inaddition, each owner of an off-premise terminal location must negotiatesite fees, equipment leases, maintenance contracts, commissions, paystate or local taxes or fees, and the like. Properly negotiating andmanaging these costs to generate a profit against the expected incomefrom surcharge and interchange fees requires a range of data that isboth difficult to find and hard to interpret.

[0015] This profit challenge is very difficult to overcome without asoftware solution specifically designed to provide visibility into andmanage the entire business surrounding ATM and scrip terminalinstallations. While detailed transaction data is captured from eachtransaction by the transaction processor that executes the transactionin real time, few terminal owners or partners know how to download thattransaction data and make use of it in the management of theirbusinesses.

[0016] Banks that provide the cash for ATMs have discovered that rentingcash to ATMs is an innovative and safe way to generate fees withoutincurring the risk of actual loans because the cash is insured andbonded at every step. Many cash providers use “vault cash” which countsas part of their federally required “cash on hand” and is not otherwiseavailable for loan activity. Tracking this cash is a complex processbecause the cash may be in any of several places: in an ATM, in anarmored car, in the armored car company's vault, in a federal reservebank account, in a correspondent bank account, “in transit” to or fromthe ATM, or back at the cash provider's own bank. Even a small cashprovider may have upwards of $10 million spread among the locations inthe ATM loop just described. All this cash must be reconciled daily—aformidable challenge. Further, the generation of fees for the cashprovider requires the calculation of interest based on whatever formulathe cash provider is using.

[0017] Each ATM, each day, must be tracked to monitor its transactionlevels, how much cash it dispensed, and whether there are any problemsrequiring service. Most of the cash in ATMs originates with a “cashprovider” who charges a fee to the ATM owner (some ATMs get their cashfrom the local merchant). The cash is delivered to the ATM by an armoredcar service at considerable expense. The delivery may also include somemaintenance such as the replacement of printer ribbons, clearing of cashjams, and other routine maintenance. The costs for these services andfor the cash are determined for each ATM location by contracts which maybe different at each site.

[0018] Other regular costs associated with the operation of ATMs andscrip terminals are site fees, maintenance fees, insurance costs,commissions, advertising costs, telephone line costs, and many more. Thecomputation of these costs depends upon many factors, and must becalculated for each accounting period. Each party to these costs must beeither invoiced or paid periodically for its share of the operation.

[0019] Managing ATMs is a complex, error-prone task that is done at mostsmall and intermediate organizations by manual record keeping and/or themaintenance of multiple spreadsheets.

[0020] There are about 8,000 scrip terminals installed in the U.S.today, mostly in the Midwest and South. The growth of scrip terminalshas been limited by the major network processors demanding that scriptransactions be treated as point-of-sale (POS) transactions, andrefusing to allow imposition of surcharging fees on POS transactions.This practice is being contested by the regional processors that drivethe scrip terminals, and the owners of the terminals who want to collectthese fees, and which they are legally allowed to collect. Should scripterminal transactions be treated as normal ATM transactions andtherefore subject to surcharge fees, the growth of scrip terminals wouldbe tremendous because of their lower acquisition cost and operating costcompared to ATMs.

[0021] There is reason to believe that the network processors willreconsider their position on the treatment of scrip terminaltransactions because they might share in the fees charged if they weretreated as ATM transactions instead of POS transactions. Even withoutthis change, merchants can still charge their own surcharge fees on ascrip transaction by assessing the surcharge at the time of moneyexchange at the counter.

[0022] It remains desirable to have a comprehensive business system tomanage the operation of ATMs, pass information among the parties in astandard format, determine the amount of revenue from multiple sources,account for the revenue sharing among the parties involved, and computethe profitability of each ATM and partner in the aggregation.

[0023] It is an object of the present invention to provide a method andapparatus to comprehensively manage the operation of ATMs, includingcash and scrip terminals and other cash and value dispensing dispersedpublic access terminals, and the supporting network and automatedmanagement arrangement.

[0024] It is a further object of the invention to enable the user tocapture in one system as useful data, and use of the data to direct, allaspects of ATM and ATM network management including assets distribution,configuration management, events.

[0025] It is a still further object of the invention to provide autonomyof the respective functions ATM cash authorization and ATM managementnetworks.

[0026] It is another object of the present invention to provide a methodand apparatus to encompass operational tasks such as determining theamount of revenue from multiple sources and to determine the sharedrevenue among a plurality of participating parties.

[0027] It is another object of the present invention to provide a methodand apparatus to provide visibility into the management of ATMs.

[0028] It is another object of the present invention to provide a methodand apparatus to increase the efficiency of ATM operation and of ATMnetworks and the like.

[0029] It is another object of the present invention to provide a methodand apparatus to reconcile and manage ATM cash in order to generate amaximum of fees at minimum cost to attain maximum profitability.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0030] The above and other objects of the invention are met and problemsof managing ATMs are solved by the present invention through provisionof an ATM management system comprising a unique data structure of arelational database coupled with ATM management processing functionsthat include software based business operation, accounting andmanagement and other business processes and procedures to deployers ofATMs.

[0031] A first preferred embodiment of the invention is a private orcorporate network operating with fed-in daily transaction files from acash authorization system. The ATM management system and cashauthorization are operated in parallel by respective proprietors.

[0032] Other embodiments include, but are not limited to, privateelectrical and optical telecommunications connected systems of wired andwireless types and other communications forms and mobile terminals.These can include wide area network linkages and/or real time data feedsof cash authorization.

[0033] The invention assists terminal deployers by providing cashmanagement, contractual terms and conditions management, income andexpense management and overall operational visibility.

[0034] The invention includes a software solution providing visibilityinto and managing the entire business surrounding ATM installations.While detailed transaction data is captured from each transaction by thetransaction processor that executes the transaction in real time, fewterminal owners or partners know how to download that transaction datafrom a range of processors and make use of it in the management of theirbusiness. The invention overcomes that problem. The present inventionuses this information to more efficiently manage ATMs.

[0035] The ATM management system of the invention comprises five areasof functionality that can be parsed into five modules (or other numberof modules), explained for cash dispensing ATMs as a non-limitingillustration of practice of the invention, as follows:

[0036] ATM Information File (AIF) Module

[0037] An ATM Information File (AIF) module builds and manages allacquisition, configuration, asset management and disposition aspects ofeach terminal. Configuration data includes all hardware, software andcommunication components of each terminal, vendor and user suppliedoptions, contents and purpose of each dispenser in the terminal,warranty and service contract data, all signage options, and tracking ofall upgrades of upgrades to any of these items. The AIF is integratedwith other modules in that it supplies the necessary and appropriateterminal information to each integrated module,

[0038] Terminal Locations (TL) Module:

[0039] A second module builds and manages all Terminal Location (TL)data. Daily activity transaction (Txn) records are collected andrecorded in the Terminal Location (TL) module in conjunction with theAIF module described above for extensive review and computations.Terminals can also be combined into various groups for reporting andanalysis purposes. This module will rank the terminals in order by manycriteria such as transaction counts and withdrawal amounts.

[0040] Terms and Accounting Module:

[0041] The Terms and Accounting module builds and manages a database ofcontract terms between the user organization and all its arrangements,agreements and/or contractual commitments with various partners for eachterminal. This module is then able to compute the income and expense foreach partner for each accounting period (e.g. month) and produce anaccounting statement to accompany either a bill or check to the partner.This module will also build an operating statement for and compute theprofitability of each terminal, month by month, and rank the terminalsin order by profitability.

[0042] Cash Management Module:

[0043] The Cash Management Module builds and manages a database of cashorders and replenishments for each terminal. This module keeps track ofa cash balance for each terminal for which the user manages cash,forecasts when to order new cash, produces cash orders, and posts theresults of cash replenishments when a delivery confirmation is received.This module then allows various analyses of the cash managementoperation such as total cash exposure to a given partner and the averagecost of cash at a given terminal.

[0044] Event Management Module:

[0045] An Event Management Module builds and manages a database ofterminal “events”. This module also provides the ability to track supplyorders for terminals. This module also provides the user with theability to define event types and monitor those events (i.e.,maintenance calls, insurance issues, ownership changes, etc.). Thesystem can support any number of categories or event types.

[0046] Taken together, the five modules of the system provide the userwith a comprehensive single-source terminal management program. Thissystem allows the user to monitor the level of activity of allterminals, track individual and total costs, assess terminalprofitability, and manage terminal cash.

[0047] The present invention together with the above and other objects,features and advantages thereof may best be understood from thefollowing detailed description of the embodiments of the inventionillustrated in the drawing, wherein:

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING

[0048]FIG. 1 is an outline of database design for implementing thesystem of the invention according to a preferred embodiment thereof;

[0049]FIG. 2 is a block diagram of hardware relations among users of theinvention; and

[0050]FIGS. 3, 4, et seq. are typical screen displays seen inutilization of the FIG. 1-2 embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0051] Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a database design for asystem of ATMs management according to a preferred embodiment of theinvention relating certain entities and actions of a managed ATMdeployment to each other, i.e. AIF as described above 10A, and terminal(TLs), i.e. ATMs, 10B, cash dispenser 10C, ATM Groups 12, Partners 14,Partner Groups 16, Events 18, Partner Cash Accounts 20, Cash Orders 22,Reports 24, Supply order 26 and Supply Items 28. The system alsocomprises Terms 32 (Profit and loss, P&L, definitions), Accounting 34and Notes generator 36.

[0052] The independent networks also provide user card numbers in areport N2 (with financial institution identification, FIID) N3. Thesedata can be put to use in the present system.

[0053] Cross reference (Xref) tables are provided including ATM GroupXref 121, Partner Group Xref 161. Optionally Settlement Float tables 30and Settlement Float Xref 301 can be provided. Reports can be tied to aReport Schedule table 241. ATM tables can break out data to tables forTL Day 101, TL Cash Orders 102, Transaction and monthly totals 104, 105.Additional such modules or sub-modules are Cash Account (Day) 201, CashAccount Debit/Credit 202 and Cash Transfers Instructions 203. SupplyOrder and Supply Items generate a Supply Order items list 27.

[0054]FIG. 2 shows a layout of user locations of a central data file andserver and deployed ‘clients’ for cooperating system users. This figureshows the relationships of the ATM management system of the invention(A) and the processing/authorization network (B). The latter providesdaily or other periodic reports (not real time feeds in thisembodiment). The system of the invention provides certain reports, cashorders and service orders as described below. The distinct barriersbetween A and B are important for privacy, business security, computersecurity and integrity of operation of the respective systems. Yet, aseamless cooperation is provided between them.

[0055]FIG. 3 is a typical main menu display for this embodimentproviding launch options to the various functions (terminals,transactions activity, diverse terms and accounting that may apply, cashmanagement function event management functions and utilities). A tableof fields of processing of the engine behind the FIG. 3 display andfield description is given in Appendix A.

[0056] The Information Tab (FIG. 4, the same menu as FIG. 3 and thetable next below in Appendix A with Information tab invoked) containsgeneral, descriptive information on the ATM. (e.g., the model andtelephone number of the ATM).

[0057] Terminal serial numbers may be required to be registered in thedatabase before they can be entered on an ATM form. If this option hasbeen set in the System Configuration, each serial number must beregistered before use. If it is not set, then each new serial numberentered in the Serial Number field on the ATM form will be added to theMaster Serial Number list for the users. In either case, the system willensure that a serial number is active in only one terminal at a time.(Please see the section on Terminal Registration below for furtherdetails.)

[0058] The status code table is user-defined. “Active” and “Closed” areused by the system and should not be changed. Additional codes may bedefined. Terminals cannot be changed to a status of “Closed” unless theyhave a zero cash liability balance.

[0059] A Cash Management tab is provided (see FIG. 5A and at Appendix A)and it contains information that relates to ordering cash and cashdeliveries. Much of the default data supplied on the Cash Order and CashLoad forms is derived from the information supplied on this tab. CashOrders and Cash Loads are described in detail under the “Cash ManagementModule” section below.

[0060] A Cash Settlement tab (the display of which is represented inFIG. 5B and its fields are listed below) is provided which refers to theSettlement Float tables. These Float tables are related to interestcharges and are used to indicate the delay between withdrawals at theATM and final settlement of the funds at the Cash Supplier. SettlementFloat tables are described in detail in the System Configurationssection below.

[0061] An ATM's use of a Settlement table is based upon the entry (orlack thereof) of start and end dates. If an entry appears in the StartDate field for a Settlement table, the ATM will not make use of thetable for transactions prior to that date. If the Start Date is leftNull, the ATM uses the Settlement table from the earliest ATMtransaction. If an entry appears in the End Date field, the ATM will notuse the Settlement table for transactions after that date. If the EndDate is left Null, the ATM applies the Settlement table to the latestATM transaction.

[0062] A Replenishment tab (FIG. 5C and table at Appendix A below)contains information on the cash delivery company utilized by the ATM.The data that is entered into this tab should be based on what thedelivery company can do. (e.g., the armored car company displayed belowcan replenish this ATM on a Bi-weekly schedule and the days they willdeliver are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.)

[0063] The replenishment segment and the replenishment days can be usedto indicate the days that the armored car service is able to replenishthe ATM, or can be used to indicate the users planned replenishmentschedule independent of the armored car service's broader capacities.

[0064] A Warranty Tab (FIG. 5D and its table at Appendix A) documentsthe date the unit was shipped from the manufacturer, the manufacturer'swarranty details, the date the unit was installed at the customerlocation, and the (perhaps) separate warranty that the user gives to thecustomer.

[0065] A Group tab (FIG. 5E and its table at Appendix A) contains theATM Groups in which the ATM participates. ATM Groups are a way tocollect any number of ATMs into a set for analysis or reportingpurposes. An ATM Group may contain any number of ATMs, and an ATM mayparticipate in any number of groups. ATM Groups are explained in detaillater in this section.

[0066] ATMs participate in a Group based upon the entry (or lackthereof) of start and end dates. If an entry appears in the Start Datefield for an ATM's participation on a Group, the ATM will notparticipate in the Group for transactions prior to that date. If theStart Date is left Null, the ATM participates in the Group from theearliest ATM transaction. If an entry appears in the End Date field foran ATM's participation on a Group, the ATM will not participate in theGroup for transactions after that date. If the End Date is left Null,the ATM participates in the Group to the latest ATM transaction.

[0067] A User Fields tab (FIG. 5F and its table at Appendix A) is anarea set up to store user-defined data items. This area is used toconsistently maintain ATM-specific data that is not already part of thesystem Pro system. There are five categories of fields: numeric,currency, text, date, and checkbox. Each of these five categories hasfour fields available. The setup of User Fields is described in detailin the “System Configurations” section below.

[0068] A Notes tab (FIG. 5G and its table at Appendix A) is an area forATM-specific notes. This area is used to record comments, changes orproblems related to an ATM. Notes are entered on this form and displayedin reverse chronological order. The system is also equipped with a“tickler” process. If a future date is entered into the system under“Next Contact”, the system will display a reminder to the user on thatdate.

[0069]FIGS. 6A-6F show the manner of adding new ATM terminals using awizard feature. To add a new ATM terminal, click the Add Icon button inthe header of the ATM form. The ATM Wizard will begin and prompt theusers through the following screens. (NOTE: Additional screens willappear if the user chooses Yes to “Will the users monitor cash for thisATM”? These screens follow.)

[0070] The user should complete as much of the information as possiblein the ATM Terminals screen. Any data that is entered in this section ofthe database will be available in the form of defaults in other areas.This will assist in the streamlining of the data entry for the system.

[0071] The following additional screens (of FIGS. 6G, 6H, 6I) appearduring the wizard process if “Yes” was selected for the answer to “Willthe users monitor cash for this ATM”? on the first screen of the ATMWizard:

[0072] Deleting an ATM terminal will remove the record from the databaseand all other records associated with it, including daily transactionhistory, agreement terms, monthly accounting terms and groupassociations. The delete operation is not reversible: it cannot beundone.

[0073] To delete an ATM terminal and other associated data records, theusers find and display the ATM the users wish to delete. Click theDelete Icon button in the header of the ATM form. The users will receivea warning message giving the users the option to continue the deletionor cancel the delete process.

[0074] When users first enter ATM-related forms, all ATMs in thedatabase are usually listed. As the users store more and more ATMs inthe system, it may become more difficult to locate a particular ATM or agroup of ATMs. On any system form, the users may use the standardMicrosoft Access Edit/Find command menu option to search for certainvalues in certain fields in the upper section of the form. However, thesystem provides another more powerful search capability to locate ATMsof interest.

[0075] The “Terminal ID” and “Location” drop-down boxes allow for quicksearches. In addition to the “quick” search, there is also an expandedsearch and filter capability that can be accessed by pressing thebinoculars button. When the binoculars button is pressed, a searchcriteria form is opened. This form is setup so that more than one itemmay be selected at any time. When more than one item is selected, thesystem will search for any terminals that match all the selectedcriteria. (e.g., if the first criteria selected is “Active” under“Status” and the second is “NY” under “State”, the system will find allATMs that are active and located in New York.).

[0076] This form is also setup so that certain fields allow “SearchStrings”. “Search Strings” are searches that allow wildcard charactersin the search. The following table lists the wildcard characterssupported and their meaning: Character Usage Example * Matches anynumber of characters. wh* finds what, It can be used as the first orwhite and why last character in the character string. ? Matches anysingle alphabetic B?ll finds character ball, bell and bill [ ] Matchesany single character B[ae]ll within the brackets finds ball and bell butnot bill ! Matches any character not in b[!ae]ll the brackets finds billand bull but not bell - Matches any one of a range of b[a-c]dcharacters. The users must finds bad, bbd, specify the range in and bedascending order (A to Z, not Z to A) # Matches any single numeric 1#3finds 103, character 113, 123

[0077] To search using the Search Criteria form one chooses the criteriafor desired search patterns by following the guidelines above. After auser has chosen the appropriate criteria and clicked the “Search”button, the system will close the Search Criteria form and display theform from which the users launched the search. This “launch” form willonly display the records that met the criteria of the user's search (usethe navigation buttons at the bottom of the form to move from record torecord.) To cancel the search and once again display all records, oneclicks the “Show All Terminals” button.

[0078] To reset the criteria on the search criteria form, click theReset button. All the fields on the form will return to the “_ALL”status. The users may also cancel/close the search criteria form and nofilter will be applied.

[0079] Activity records reflecting the activity for each day must becaptured for each ATM. These activity records can be entered into thesystem through the system import routines or they can be manuallyentered. The daily record(s) contains counts for several different typesof transactions and amounts. Not all of these counts and amounts areavailable in every file from every processor. All information that isavailable from the processor is loaded into the daily activity records.

[0080] Processors cut off their collections of terminal transactions forsettlement at a particular time of day, say 3:00 p.m. eastern standardtime. Each processor may have a different cutoff time and procedure.Therefore, each processor's daily file to be settled that night via ACHcontains transactions from two calendar days: one set that occurred fromperhaps midnight to 3:00 p.m. on the current day, and one set that inthis example occurred after 3:00 p.m. the previous day. The systemrecords the transactions to the actual day they occurred, but rememberstheir processor settlement day as well.

[0081] There are additional complications to this process involvingadjustments. Processors occasionally send adjustment transactions for apreviously reported day. There are also situations where a user may needto manually enter an adjustment. To handle these cases, the systemtracks multiple collections of transaction records per ATM per day.

[0082] The tracking of ATM activity is now explained (see also sampleserver displays at FIGS. 7A-7E). The system tracks transaction activityby both the actual activity date and the settlement date. This allowsthe system to properly display all transaction activity that occurred atthe terminal each day, even though the transactions are settled by theprocessor on more than one day. This is important in order to show thatpotentially important activity at an ATM did not occur on the date ofthe settlement, but on the afternoon of the previous day. Settlementreports are available that recollect ATM transactions to theirsettlement day.

[0083] The system will accept one collection of transaction records foreach combination of activity date and settlement date and will notifythe user of any duplication. In addition, The system will accept anynumber of adjustment records for each activity date and settlement datecombination.

[0084] The following table illustrates this capability. An ATM could,for example, have the following activity records on file: ActivitySettlement Terminal Date Date Adj Explanation RBS123 Apr. 1, 2000 Apr.1, 2000 Txns that occurred on 4/1 and settled on 4/1 RBS123 Apr. 1, 2000Apr. 2, 2000 Txns that occurred on 4/1 and settled on 4/2 RBS123 Apr. 2,2000 Apr. 2, 2000 Txns that occurred on 4/2 and settled on 4/2 RBS123Apr. 2, 2000 Apr. 3, 2000 Txns that occurred on 4/2 and settled on 4/3RBS123 Apr. 2, 2000 Apr. 3, 2000 A Adjustments for txns that occurred on4/2 and settled on 4/3 RSB123 Apr. 3, 2000 Apr. 3, 2000 Txns thatoccurred on 4/3 and settled on 4/3

[0085] The system can now collect these records by either ATM activitydate or by settlement date.

[0086] Daily files from processors may come to the users via a serviceprovided by the processor (e.g. MPS MVision), via e-mail attachments, orsome other method. These files should be downloaded into a folderbearing the name of the processor. The files should also be renamed to aname containing the date of the transactions (e.g. MPS20001225). Oncecaptured in this fashion, the files may be imported into the system.

[0087] Users of the system should always import the daily detail filesfrom processors when possible, rather than the daily summarized files.The system is able to collect more information from the detail filesthan is provided in the summarized files.

[0088] System import utility programs are used to avoid both the manuallabor of data entry and the possibility of data entry errors. The“Import Daily Txns” button on the Main Switchboard launches the Importform:

[0089] There are four possible steps in the Import process, each ofwhich is represented by a radio button on an import form.

[0090] Step 1: Capture Processor Daily Files

[0091] When the “Capture Processor Daily Files” button on the form isselected, another set of radio buttons will be displayed on the right.These radio buttons allow the users to select the type of processor fileto be imported. Choose the file type that the users intend to importfrom the choices available and click the “Execute Import Step” button. Adialog box will appear to allow the users to locate the file the userswish to import. The default file locations for each file type aredeclared on the System Configuration screens. Once the users havepointed to the file, click the “Open” button and the file will beimported into the system Edit File. An optional report is available thatwill print the records that have been captured into the Edit File. Thisoption can be set from the System Configuration screen.

[0092] The system Edit File is used to process imported dailytransactions. Each imported file is placed in the Edit File. If thereare records already in the Edit File, the additional file records areplaced after these records. Records imported into the Edit File via oneof the Processor Import Utilities are identified as being captured by aparticular Import Utility in the source field. Any number of files maybe imported into the Edit File. When the users choose, the users maypost the records in the Edit File to the database.

[0093] Step 2: View Import Edit File

[0094] This radio button is available at any time to view the contentsof the Edit File: The Edit File gives the users the opportunity to viewand edit records prior to posting them to the system. Changes to anindividual record can be made directly to this screen. In addition, newrecords can be manually added. The Edit File also allows the users todelete records. To delete, highlight the records by clicking on the graybox to the left and press the delete key.

[0095] Step 3: Print Import Edit File

[0096] A radio button is available to print the contents of the EditFile at any time. Note: the system can be set to print a list of therecords that the import routine has added to the Edit File. The systemcan also be set to print a list of all records in the Edit File and theaction that posting routine took on each. Both of these print optionscan be set in System Configuration on the “Parameters” tab.

[0097] Step 4: Post Edit File

[0098] Selecting this radio button and then clicking “Execute ImportStep” processes each record in the Edit File. The posting routinematches the ID of records in the Edit File to the Processor's ID fieldvalue in the ATM records. If a match is found, a check is made to see ifa record with the same date already exists in the database.

[0099] If there is a record in the database with the same date, the useris asked whether to replace the existing data in the database with theEdit File data or skip the replacement process and proceed. If therecord does not already exist, the Edit File record is added to theATM's daily record list in the database. Such records are marked in theEdit File as “Skipped” or “Posted” respectively.

[0100] Some records may remain in the Edit File because their ID did notmatch a processor's ID in the database. These records are marked as “NotPosted.” There may be cases where a proper ATM record had not been addedto the database or the database contained an erroneous processor's ID.Once either one of these situations has been corrected, the Edit Filemay be posted again and some or all of the remaining records would thenbe posted and deleted from the Edit File. If the processor sent recordsin the file that are not of interest, the users should delete them fromthe Edit File.

[0101] A posting report is produced documenting the action taken on eachrecord in the Edit File. Records that matched a terminal ID in thedatabase are then deleted from the Edit File as they have either beenposted or deliberately skipped due to a duplicate already on file.

[0102] As each new record is posted in the database, it causes variousupdates as necessary to fields such as the Cash Remaining in the ATM.New or modified transaction statistics and amounts are also posted intothe monthly counts for the ATM. At the end of the posting run, allstatistics and amounts in the system database should be accurate and insynchronization.

[0103] Note: The records in the Import Edit File may also be posted froma button on the View Import Edit File screen.

[0104] ATM stores the processor data for an ATM on a daily level so thatprocessor changes that take place during a month will be reflected insettlement reports.

[0105] This feature requires the use of a special code in the PartnerXID field (located on the “Partner” screen) for each processor used bythe user's company. The following is a list of each Processor supportedby the system and the corresponding code that must be placed in the XIDfield: Partner XID Processor File Type: Field Code: ATME ATME ATMI ATMICoreData CoreData Concord EPS CncrdEPS Concord EPS Spreadsheet CncrdEPSFirst Data (USPI) 1stData Lynk Systems Lynk MoneyMaker (ACS) MonyMakrMPS MPS RBSA RBSA RBSA Daily Summary RBSA TNS TNS Universal MoneyUnivMony US Bank USBank

[0106] If the import posting routine does not find one of the abovecodes, an error message is displayed and the posting routine is stopped.The user may then update the Processor XID data and run the importposting routine again.

[0107] To manually enter or update daily ATM records, one uses the EditFile. The Edit File can be accessed by clicking the “Import Daily Txns”button (main menu) and then choosing “View Import Edit File”.

[0108] The manual records can be entered directly into the Edit File. Nochanges will be entered into the system until the record is posted.Therefore, it is important to remember that all manual changes must beposted as described above. If the users enter corrected data for an ATM,statement date, and activity date that is already on file, the userswill be prompted to see whether the users wish to replace information onthe database, to which the users may answer OK. The method is best whenthe users have data for several ATMs to add as all records can be addedon one screen, subsequently posted, and a printed report can documentthe user's changes.

[0109] The system stores the processor data for an ATM on a daily levelso that processor changes that take place during a month will bereflected in settlement reports. This requires the use of Processor XIDcodes as explained above. When manually entering a record in the EditFile, the appropriate XID code for the process must be typed into the“Source” field. (This is done automatically by the system when files areimported.) If the source is left blank, an error message is displayedand the posting routine is stopped. The user may then update the sourcefield and run the import posting routine again.

[0110] The Posting routine for the system does not allow duplicateentries into the system. The system checks each record prior to postingto see if that record already exists. If the record does exist, the useris given the option to either replace or skip the record.

[0111] If the user decides to replace the existing record, the systemdisplays the following prompt: “Would You Like The System To Replace AllDuplicate Records and Not Prompt For Each One?” If the user answers“Yes”, the system replaces the duplicates without further prompting. Ifthe user answers “No”, the system will continue to prompt for eachduplicate record.

[0112] If the user decides not to replace the existing record, thesystem displays the following prompt: “Would You Like the System to SkipAll Duplicate Records and Not Prompt For Each One?” If the user answers“Yes”, the system skips all duplicates without further prompting. If theuser answers “No”, the system will continue to prompt for each duplicaterecord.

[0113] It is very important to ensure that data is entered into thedatabase for every day for every terminal that is active. Missing dataof course cannot be included in the system calculations and projections,and therefore could lead to erroneous results. Do not assume thatmissing data means no activity. Investigate the reason for missing data,and either enter the values that were missing or enter a date recordwith zero values to confirm that no activity took place at the ATM thatday.

[0114] The Audit Checks button provides several routines that notify theuser of potential problematic data. This area of the system should bechecked regularly in order to keep the database up to date and accurate.

[0115] Some processors do not report on certain days (e.g. Sunday).Daily records for which the transaction counts are known to be zero areautomatically generated into the database. This applies especially todays for which the ATM was not accessible (e.g. the store was closed) orperhaps out of service. The existence of the daily records is veryimportant because cash rental charges (interest charges) still must becomputed for these days.

[0116] The system has an area where transactions can beviewed/monitored. To reach this section, either click “Daily Txns” fromthe ATM Terminals screen or click the “Daily Statistics” button from the“Transaction Activity” module on the main menu.

[0117] The ATM Daily Transaction Statistics screen has four tabs:Transaction Activity, Cash Orders and Loads, ATM Cash, and Cash Cost.The form also has a number of command buttons located in its header.

[0118] In addition, there is a “memo” area where facts about the ATM canbe displayed. (e.g., a memo may indicate that an ATM is located at astore that is closed on Sundays.)

[0119] The Transaction Activity tab (FIG. 7A) shows the individual dailytransaction summary records for each combination of Settlement Date andActivity Date. Additional adjustment records may be on file, indicatedby an “A” in the Adj column. The following is an example of this tab:

[0120] The most efficient way to capture these records is to importdaily files provided by the processors. The system offers import utilityprograms for many processors. For those ATMs for which daily processorfile or import utility is not available, the daily activity records mustbe imported manually into the Import Edit File screen and then posted.

[0121] In addition to making changes via the Import Edit File, edits mayalso be made directly on the Transaction Activity tab. To make a change,simply overwrite the data that is currently on the record. (i.e., tochange the W/D Txns from 8 to 9 above, replace the 8 with a 9 directlyin the field).

[0122] Cash Orders and Loads:

[0123] The Cash Orders and Loads tab (FIG. 7B) shows each cash order onfile for the ATM and the load/replenishment status of that order.

[0124] The ATM Cash tab (FIG. 7C) shows a day-by-day accounting of thecash remaining in the ATM, together with cash order and deliveryinformation. Daily withdrawal amounts are shown. Two important values onthis screen are the cash left with confirmed deliveries (i.e. afterentering the armored car report of the delivery) and the cash left withunconfirmed deliveries (i.e. assuming that all cash ordered actually getdelivered). The first value is used to alert the user that cashdeliveries may be overdue.

[0125] The Cash Cost tab (FIG. 7D) shows the total withdrawal amountsfor each ATM each day, the settlement delay days before the withdrawalsstop costing interest charges, the cash returns applied based on theirassumed or specific deposit date, new cash charges, the net end of daycash balance, and the daily interest charge.

[0126] Cash orders are charged interest by the supplier from the time ofthe Cash Order Charge Date on each line of the order, which is usually anumber of days prior to delivery at the ATM. This display shows thetiming of these events in chart form.

[0127] When entering new daily data, The system always keeps anup-to-date account of ATM cash balances. Whenever a new daily record foran ATM is posted, The system automatically re-computes the daily andmonthly balances for that ATM (computing monthly ATM activity isexplained in the next section). This recalculation takes place for eachrecord posted via the Import Edit File and any records edited using theTransaction Activity tab.

[0128] Daily activity records are accumulated or “rolled up” intomonthly counts after each Edit File posting run. These monthly recordsare available by clicking on the Monthly Statistics button (see FIG. 7E)in the Terminals and Txn Activity.

[0129] Monthly accounting computations are usually based on the monthlyrecords, not on the daily records. Once daily records have passed theperiod of time that they may need correction, it may not be necessary tokeep them in the database.

[0130] Note that there are two sets of monthly counts for each ATM andmonth. One set is the accumulated set of daily counts on file for theATM. The second set is for the processor reported counts for the sameperiod. The processor counts must be manually input into the system.

[0131] To manually input processor counts use the Monthly TransactionTotals screen. The processor figures can be entered for the appropriatemonth directly on the processor “row” on the screen.

[0132] For any number of reasons, including different cutoff times fordaily reporting, these sets of numbers might be different. Recordingboth sets of numbers in the database gives the system the ability tocompare the two and alert the user to significant differences that mayoccur and need further explanation or investigation.

[0133] ATM Groups are a way to collect any number of ATMs into a set foranalysis or reporting purposes. An ATM Group may contain any number ofATMs, and an ATM may participate in any number of groups.

[0134] An ATM Group is defined by clicking the “ATM Groups” button onthe Main Menu. On a new line on this form (FIG. 8A), enter a group nameand a description or purpose for the group. The users may also enterother contact information for the group. Once the ATM Group is defined,the users may add ATMs to or delete ATMs from the group by selecting thegroup and clicking the “Groups and Members” button at the top of theform. All current members of the group are shown. To add another ATM tothe group, go to the end of the list and on the first blank line use thedrop-down list to select the new ATM to be added. To delete an ATM fromthe list, click on the ATM's record selector to the left of the line andpress the delete key on the keyboard. Click OK to confirm the delete.

[0135] ATMs may also be added to groups on the ATM Terminal form itself.The tab labeled ATM Groups lists the groups in which the ATM currentlyparticipates. To add another group to the ATM, go to the end of the listand on the first blank line use the drop-down list to select the newgroup to be added. To delete a group from the list, click on the group'srecord selector to the left of the line and press the delete key on thekeyboard. Click OK to confirm the delete.

[0136] ATMs participate in a Group based upon the entry (or lackthereof) of start and end dates. If an entry appears in the Start Datefield for an ATM's participation on a Group, the ATM will notparticipate in the Group for transactions prior to that date. If theStart Date is left Null, the ATM participates in the Group from theearliest ATM transaction. If an entry appears in the End Date field foran ATM's participation on a Group, the ATM will not participate in theGroup for transactions after that date. If the End Date is left Null,the ATM participates in the Group to the latest ATM transaction.

[0137] Example: Consider an ATM that has been switched from someoneelse's cash to Charter Bank's cash. The ATM must be set to startparticipation in the Charter Bank group on the first day it uses Chartercash, so as to not include another bank's cash in group cashcomputations.

[0138] Transaction Activity Printed Reports:

[0139] The system is equipped with a feature that allows the user todesignate whether serial numbers should be entered separately from therest of the ATM data. This option is located in System Configuration onthe Parameters tab (“Require Preregistration of Terminal SerialNumbers”). The related Terminal Registration form can be accessed fromthe Main Menu/Terminals and Txns Activity module:

[0140] Serial Number Master List Fields: Name Description Serial NumberTerminal serial number Manufacturer Terminal vendor/manufacturer (fromuser defined code table) Model Terminal model (from user defined codetable) Dispenser Terminal dispenser type (from user defined code table)Price Price of machine. Date Shipped Date ATM was shipped frommanufacturer Warranty Manufacturer warranty coverage Coverage WarrantyStart Date manufacturer warranty starts Date Warranty End Datemanufacturer warranty ends Date Warranty Cost Manufacturer warrantycost, if any, including extensions Disposition How the asset wasdisposed, e.g. sold, scraped, etc. Memo Notes on ATM.

[0141] When the “Require Preregistration of Terminal Serial Numbers”option is set to “Yes”, the following apply:

[0142] All serial numbers and related machine data (manufacturer, model,dispenser, and manufacturer warranty information) must be set up in theSerial Number Master List form before it can be assigned to a Terminalin the ATM screen. The serial number field located on the ATM screen isa combo box that pulls its information from the Serial Number MasterList. If a user tries to manually enter a serial number that has notalready been set up, the system will display a warning message that thenumber is invalid and will not allow it to be entered.

[0143] When a serial number is chosen from the serial number combo box,all related serial number data (manufacturer, model, dispenser, andwarranty information) is displayed and locked. This data can only beedited in the Serial Number Master List form.

[0144] If a user exits the Information tab on the ATM screen withoutidentifying a serial number, a warning message is displayed.

[0145] If a user enters a serial number that is currently on file foranother machine whose status is “Active”, the system will display awarning and will not allow it to be entered.

[0146] When the “Require Preregistration of Terminal Serial Numbers”option is set to “No”, the following apply:

[0147] There are no restrictions on how serial numbers are entered intothe system. Serial numbers can be entered directly into the serialnumber field on the ATM screen, entered in the Serial Number Master Listform, or not entered at all. Note: if no information is entered into the“Master” form, no serial numbers will appear in the serial number combobox on the ATM screen. In this instance, the number must be enteredmanually into the field on the ATM screen.

[0148] If serial numbers have been entered into the Serial Number MasterList, they will appear in the serial number combo box. When a serialnumber is chosen from this combo box, the user is given the option tohave the system supply all other related data (i.e., manufacturer,model).

[0149] Fields related to the serial number (i.e., manufacturer, model)are not locked and can be edited directly on the ATM screen.

[0150] If a user enters a serial number that is currently on file foranother machine whose status is “Active”, the system will display awarning and will not allow it to be entered.

[0151] The purpose of the Terms and Accounting Module is to record allincome and expense terms, arrangements, contracts and agreements witheach business partner in an ATM: merchants, banks, processors, armoredcars, and the like. Using these terms as a base. The system can computethe income and expense to each partner each month for each ATM andproduce a P & L statement or financial operating statement to accompanyan invoice or check to that partner. Further, The system can compute theprofitability of each ATM each month and compare it to all other ATM'sor ATM groups.

[0152] Each accounting term is a relationship between the ATM and abusiness partner. An ATM may have any number of terms associated withit, many with the same partner if appropriate. In turn, each partner mayhave a terms relationship with any number of ATMs, as appropriate.

[0153] Before terms can be entered, both the ATM and the Partner must bedefined in the database. ATMs are defined to the database on the ATMscreen in the Terminals and Txn Activity. Partners are defined to thedatabase on the Partner form in the Terms and Accounting Module. NameLocation Description Name Tab 1 Partner name. Appears in many screensand reports to identify the partner. Important: see illegal characterlist. PID Tab 1 Partner identification number. System assignedidentification number. Partner Information Tab fields: Contact Tab 1Contact name Title Tab 1 Contact business title Phone Tab 1 Contactphone Status Tab 1 From user defined status code table Business Tab 1From user defined business type table Type Tax ID Type Tab 1 From userdefined tax ID type table Tax ID Tab 1 User's tax ID or social securitynumber Import/ Tab 1 Cross-reference ID for Importing/Exporting ExportID Data Address1 Tab 1 Partner address line 1 Address2 Tab 1 Partneraddress line 2 City Tab 1 Partner city State Tab 1 Partner state Zip Tab1 Partner zip code Country Tab 1 Country of Partner Fax Tab 1 PartnerFax number E-Mail Tab 1 Partner e-mail address

[0154] Partner Group Tab:

[0155] Partner Groups serve a similar purpose to ATM groups—they gathera number of partners into a collection for reporting or analysispurposes. A Partner Group may contain any number of Partners, and aPartner may participate in any number of groups: Name LocationDescription Group Tab 2 Name of the group(s) this partner belongs toName Description Tab 2 Description of the group(s) Contact Tab 2 Contactperson Phone Tab 2 Telephone number of contact

[0156] Partner Roles Tab:

[0157] In addition to the above fields, each partner has a list of checkboxes to indicate the types of roles or relationships that the partnerhas with the system user organization. These check boxes are used toprovide lists throughout the system of only those partners that meetcertain criteria. The partner roles are available by clicking the Rolestab on a Partner form.

[0158] Partner Roles Tab Check Boxes: Check Box Tab DescriptionAdvertiser 3 Is this partner an advertiser on ATMs Armored Car 3 Is thispartner an armored car cash delivery service ATM Owner 3 Is this partneran owner of ATMs Bank 3 Is this partner a bank Cash Customer 3 Is thispartner a customer for cash rental Cash Manager 3 Is this partnerresponsible for managing cash at one or more ATMs Cash Provider 3 Isthis partner responsible for providing cash Corporation 3 Is thispartner a corporation Distributor 3 Is this partner an ATM distributorInsurance 3 Is this partner an insurance company Company Investor 3 Isthis partner an ATM investor ISO 3 Is this partner an ISO or sub-ISOMaintenance 3 Is this partner a maintenance provider Co. of ATMsMerchant 3 Is this partner a merchant Phone Company 3 Is this partner atelephone company Processor 3 Is this partner as processor of ATMtransactions Salesperson 3 Is this partner a salesperson or organizationthat might earn commissions

[0159] As many check boxes may be checked for each partner as isnecessary to define all the roles or relationships that partner has withthe system user organization.

[0160] Partner Bank Accounts Tab:

[0161] The bank accounts with which a particular partner is associatedneed to be designated on the Bank Accounts tab (FIG. 9A) for use inother sections of the system. The Bank Accounts Information tab is shownbelow:

[0162] Partner Bank Account Tab Fields: Name Location Description CashAccount Tab 4 Name given to the cash account. Cash Name accounts are setup in the Cash Management module Bank Name Tab 4 Name of the bank thepartner is using ABA Number Tab 4 ABA number of the bank Account NumberTab 4 Account number at the bank Type Tab 4 Type of bank account ComputeInterest Tab 4 Is interest computed on balance of this account InterestRate Tab 4 Interest Rate adjustment from Prime from Prime

[0163] The Statement tab records information about how a partner isinvoiced by tracking reports which are sent to partners.

[0164] The Statements Information tab is shown below: Name LocationDescription Report Name Tab 5 Name of Report Frequency Tab 5 Frequencyof Report Delivery Method Tab 5 Delivery method of Report Start Date Tab5 Start date End Date Tab 5 End date

[0165] The User Fields tab is an area setup to store user-defined dataitems.

[0166] This area is used to consistently maintain Partner-specific datathat is not already part of the system Pro system. There are fourcategories of fields: numeric, currency, text, and date. Each of thesefour categories has four fields available. The setup of User Fields isdescribed in detail in the “System Configurations” section below. NameLocation Description Numeric Tab 6 Field will hold any numeric valueCurrency Tab 6 Field will hold any currency value Text Tab 6 Field willhold any text value Date Tab 6 Field will hold any date value

[0167] The Notes tab is an area for Partner-specific notes. This area isused to record changes or problems related to a Partner. Notes areentered on this form and displayed chronologically by the last noteentered. The system is also equipped with a “tickler” process. If afuture date is entered into the system under “Next Contact”, the systemwill display a reminder to the user on that date. Name LocationDescription Date Tab 6 Activity date for the note (e.g., date the ATMexperienced problems) Type Tab 6 Type or category of note Next ContactTab 6 Date scheduled for the next contact Added Tab 6 Date the note wasadded to the system Last Change Tab 6 Date the note was last updated orchanged By Tab 6 User who entered the note Notes Tab 6 A description ofthe reason for the note

[0168] When the users first enter Partner-related forms, all Partners inthe database are usually listed. As the users store more and morePartners in the system, it may become more difficult to locate aparticular Partner or a group of Partners. On any The system form, theusers may use the standard Microsoft Access Edit/Find command menuoption to search for certain values in certain fields in the uppersection of the form.

[0169] However, the system provides another more powerful searchcapability to locate Partners of interest. The forms or screens equippedwith this search capability have the following box located at the top ofthe screen:

[0170] The “Partner” and “Address1” drop-down boxes allow for quicksearches. In addition to the “quick” search, there is also an expandedsearch and filter capability that can be accessing by pressing thebinoculars button.

[0171] When the binoculars button is pressed, the following searchcriteria form is opened:

[0172] This form is setup so that more than one item may be selected atany time. When more than one item is selected, the system will searchfor any Partners that match all the selected criteria, (e.g., if thefirst criteria selected is “Active” under “Status” and the second is“NY” under “State”, the system will find all Partners that are activeand located in New York.).

[0173] This form is also setup so that certain fields allow “SearchStrings,” “Search Strings” are searches that allow wildcard charactersin the search. The following table lists the wildcard characterssupported and their meaning: Character Usage Example * Matches anynumber of characters. wh* finds what, It can be used as the first orwhite and last character in the why character string. ? Matches anysingle alphabetic B?ll finds character ball, bell and bill [ ] Matchesany single character B[ae]ll finds within the brackets ball and bell notbill ! Matches any character not in b[!ae]ll the brackets finds bill andbull but not bell - Matches any one of a range of b[a-c]d characters.The users must finds bad, bbd, specify the range in and bcd ascendingorder (A to Z, not Z to A) # Matches any single numeric 1#3 finds 103,character 113, 123

[0174] To search using the Search Criteria form, choose the criteria bywhich the users would like the system to search by following theguidelines above. After the users have chosen the appropriate criteria,click the “Search” button. The system will close the Search Criteriaform and display the form from which the users launched the search. This“launch” form will only display the records that met the criteria of theuser's search (use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the form tomove from record to record.) To cancel the search and once again displayall records, click the “Show All” button.

[0175] To reset the criteria on the search criteria form, click theReset button. All the fields on the form will return to the “_ALL”status and check boxes will be cleared. The users may also cancel/closethe search criteria form and no filter will be applied.

[0176] Entering a complete set of agreement terms for each ATM, andkeeping them up to date as changes occur, is extremely important.Income, expense and profitability computations are only as accurate asthe terms on which they are based.

[0177] Each individual term record represents an income or expensecomponent or intermediate computation between the ATM and a partner.Each record is composed of the following fields: Field Description LineLine number to sequence the terms lines within an ATM. Required. Must bea unique entry within the ATM. Type Income (Inc) or Expense (Exp) to theuser. May also be a Computed entry (Cmp) that is used later in the termslines. Required entry. Charge Code System table of user definedaccounting charge codes. Required entry. Income From/Expense Partnerfrom whom income derived or expense To given. Required entry. StartBeginning effective date of this terms line. Required entry. (The systemdoes support a Mid-Month start date. If users enter a start date of the15^(th), monthly computations for the line will only includetransactions from the 15^(th) to the end of the month.) End Endingeffective date for this terms line. Required entry. (Note: The systemdoes support a Mid-Month end date. If the users enter an end date of the15^(th), the computations for the line will only include transactionsfor the first 15 days of that month.) Base Factor or field on which thecalculation is based. Required entry. Frequency Frequency on which thecalculation is based. Required entry. Value, Equation, Table Value,equation or table to apply in or Actual conjunction with the base andfrequency. Required entry. When the base is “IntAmt”, “ScgAmt”, or“WdlAmt”, the word “Actual” must be placed in this field. (Note: thesystem supports line computations which are entered is this field. Forfurther details, please refer to “Computed Values in Terms Lines” laterin this section of the manual.) Minimum Amount The minimum amountallowed for terms line computation. If calculation total fall below thisfigure, the minimum amount is used. Maximum Amount When an amount isentered into this field, the system will check the calculation for theline to verify that it is equal to or less than the maximum. If thecalculation is higher than the maximum, the system will substitute themaximum amount supplied. Direct Deposit Check this box if the amountdetermined for this terms line is deposited directly in the partner'saccount Provide Phone Check this box if this partner provides the phonefor the ATM

[0178] The charge code field identifies the category of charge (incomeor expense) represented by the terms line. Charge code values can beuser defined by clicking on the System Configuration button, going tothe Acctg. Charge Codes screen, and adding the new code in the nextblank line at the bottom. In any case, the following standard list isdelivered with the system: Charge Charge Code Code Name Charge CodeDescription AdvRecpt Receipt Charge for advertising on Advertisingreceipt AdvScrn Screen Charge for advertising on screen AdvertisingAdvWrap Wrap Charge for advertising on ATM Advertising Amort HardwareCharge for amortization on Amortization equipment Commisn CommissionPayment to a salesperson CshCharg Cash Charge Charge for cash CshCostCash Cost The cost of cash from the cash supplier CshInsur Cash Cost ofinsurance for cash, Insurance hardware, etc. CshLoad Cash Load Cost ofeach armored car delivery CshResp Cash Cost for managing cash balancesResponsibility in the ATM FrstLine First Line Cost of first linemaintenance (e.g. paper replacement) InterChg Interchange The amount ofthe interchange Revenue revenue for each transaction Lease LeaseHardware lease or rental cost Maint Maintenance Cost of second linemaintenance (e.g. hardware repair) MgmtFee Management Fee Cost ofmanagement of ATM operations NetAcces Network Access Charge to owner ormerchant for network access NetSpnsr Network Charge for networksponsorship Sponsorship OwnerFee Owner Fee Fee paid to owner of ATMProcssng Txn Processing Network fee to process transaction SiteFee SiteFee Fee paid to site owner StateCst State Cost Fee paid to some statesfor ATM registration Interchg Interchange Interchange transaction feeRevenue TxnSrchg Txn Surcharge Fee for processing a cash withdrawal

[0179] Term Base, Frequency and Value Entries

[0180] The terms base, frequency and value entries define upon what thecharge is based (base), how often it is charged (frequency) and thevalue or table to apply when doing the computation. Because these tablesare used in computations, they may only be added to by e-ClassicSystems. The entries are system defined and include the followingoptions: Base Code Base Code Description BiqTxn Per Balance InquiryTransaction Comptd A computed amount based on references to other linenumbers and/or arithmetic operators DnyTxn Per Deny Transaction IntAmtUse the actual interchange amount from the daily processor file. (Note:when using this as a base, the word “Actual” must be placed in the“Value, Equation, Table or Actual” field.) IntTxn Per InterchangeTransaction Manual A manually entered amount, for example because itchanges every month N/A Not Applicable Once Once per Frequency (e.g.once per cash load, once per month) Prime Prime Interest Rate ScgAmt Usethe actual surcharge amount from the daily processor file. (Note: whenusing this as a base, the word “Actual” must be placed in the “Value,Equation, Table or Actual” field.) ScgTxn Per Surcharged TransactionTfrTxn Per Transfer Transaction TtlTxn Per Total Transactions WdlAmtActual Withdrawal Amount. (Note: when using this as a base, the word“Actual” must be placed in the “Value, Equation, Table or Actual”field.) WdlTxn Per Withdrawal Transaction

[0181] Frequency Code Frequency Code Description Call Per Call or VisitDaily Per Day Load Per Cash Load Monthly Per Month Percnt Percent (e.g.of another line#) Table Based on a Table N/A Not Applicable

[0182] The value entry may be a number including decimal positions. Itmay also be the reserved word “Actual” indicating that the actual amounton the processor file is to be used. It may also be an arithmeticexpression.

[0183] Rate Tables

[0184] Rate Tables are used when the charges to be computed change basedon the number of transactions in a period. For example, if a merchant ispaid 15 cents per transaction for the first 500 transactions per month,then 25 cents for the next 500, then 30 cents for all transactions over1000 per month, a rate table to properly compute such charges would looklike this: Table ID: NP119; Table Name: Example Low High Value 1 500 .15501 1000 .25 1001 99999 .3

[0185] Any number of rate tables can be defined using the Rate Tablebutton on the system Main Menu. The Table ID field value is used as thekey when referring to the table in Terms records.

[0186] A rate table may be designated as Incremental or Retroactive. IfIncremental, each of the line values is applied within that bracketonly. An example is the explanation of the table immediately above. IfRetroactive, as each line is reached, the value on that line is appliedto all the previous lines as well.

[0187] The Prime Rate table is simply a special case of a rate table.The Prime Rate table is available from a button on the Rate Table form,and consists of start date, end date and prime rate values forappropriate periods. Both of these tables may be added to by simplygoing to the next blank line in the table and adding the new rate.

[0188] The users can use other ATM Agreement Term lines in calculationsfor new “Term” lines. There are several ways in which “Term” lines canbe manipulated using addition, subtraction, multiplication, anddivision. This manipulation can include interaction between lines andwith other numbers (i.e., Line 1*Line 2, Line 1*0.5, Line 1*AverageSurcharge).

[0189] “AvgScg” Keyword Description: when “AvgScg” is included in aterms line, the system calculates the average surcharge amount for theperiod and then performs the requested computation. For example, thefollowing line can be entered in the “Equation” field: L1+L3*AvgScg. Ifthe average surcharge were calculated to be $1.50, then the system wouldcalculate Line 1 plus Line 3 and multiply the sum by 1.50.

[0190] An equation is entered into the “Value, Equation, Table, or‘Actual’” field on the ATM Agreement Terms form. This equation is thenused to calculate the computed amount when the “Show Acctng” button ispressed.

[0191] There are formatting rules which apply to the entry of anequation:

[0192] The equation must begin with a line number

[0193] All line numbers must have the designation “L” placed before theline number (e.g., for line number 12, “L12”)

[0194] Equation calculations are not based on operator precedence (e.g.,multiplication performed before addition). Lines are evaluated insequence from left to right. Therefore, if the users enter “L7+L3*L2”,the system will add Line 7 and Line 3 and then multiply this sum by Line2.

[0195] There must be an operator between a line number and anothernumber or key word.

[0196] Any number of lines may be included in the equation. However, tobe included in the computation, all line numbers must occur before theline containing the new term. (e.g., if the equation is on Line 8, Line10 cannot be part of the computation.)

[0197] The system will only recognize the following characters: L, 0, 1,2, 3, 4, 5, 6 , 7, 8, 9, +, −, /, *, decimal points (.) and key word“AvgScg”. All other characters will be ignored during computations(e.g., spaces, parenthesis, brackets, etc.).

[0198] The percent sign (%) should not be used on any terms line.

[0199] The following are examples of how different entries will beevaluated by the system: Entry Computation L1 + L2 Line 1 plus Line 2L1 + L2 Line 1 plus Line 2 L1 + (L2 * L4) Line 1 plus Line 2 thenmultiplied by Line 4 L1/[L8 − L9] Line 1 divided by Line 8 and then Line9 will be subtracted from the result. The brackets have not effect oncalculation L1 * .25 Line 1 multiplied by .25 Line 1 * .25 Line 1multiplied by .25 Multiply L1 * L2 Computation does not match formatrules. L1 + L5*AvgSgc Line 1 plus Line 5 and then multiplied by n wheren equals the average surcharge amount for the period. L1.5 Invalid LineNumber

[0200] To Enter an Equation:

[0201] Equations are entered in the field: “Value, Equation, Table, or‘Actual’”. For an equation to take effect, the general rules as outlineabove must be followed and “Comptd” must be selected in the “Base”.

[0202] When the accounting is displayed for a valid equation, theequation will appear under comments. (e.g., L1+L2)

[0203] Line Types—“Inc”, “Exp” and “Cmp”:

[0204] Computed lines may be designated as type income, expense orcomputed. If the “Exp” or “Inc” is chosen for the “Type”, then thecomputed amount will be included in any totals that are generated onforms and reports. (e.g., the total on the Monthly Accounting Reportwill include the line.)

[0205] If the type for the computed line is designated as “Cmp”, thenthe computed amount will not be included in any of the totals that aregenerated on forms and reports. This feature would most likely be usedin situations where one computed line is based on another. (e.g., a sumof several lines could be generated in a computed line and designated astype “Cmp”, then this line could be multiplied in another line by 50%.The second line could be designated as either expense or income andwould be part of any totals.)

[0206] Non-Active Line Numbers:

[0207] Line numbers that do not yet exist or are not active (i.e.,future “Start Date”) are not treated as invalid line numbers. These linenumbers are ignored in the calculation. Therefore, the equation isL1+L2/L3 and L2 does not exist or is not active, the system will computethe following: L1/L3.

[0208] When the accounting is displayed, ignored lines are identifiedunder comments. (e.g., for an equation of L1+L2+L3/L4 where L2 does notexist, the following will appear under comments: “Eqtn: L1+L2+L3/L4,Ign: L2”. This means that “L2” was ignored and the system added L1+L3and then divided by L4.)

[0209] Here are some examples of terms records and their explanation:Base Frequency Value Explanation ScgTxn Daily 1.50 Income or expensecharge is $1.50 times the number of surcharged transactions each daySurAmt Daily Actual Income or expense charge is taken from the value oneach transaction on the processor's daily file Once Monthly 75 Income orexpense charge is $75.00 per month Prime Daily +1 Income or expensecharge is the average daily ATM cash balance times (Prime Rate + 1%)/365days. Note: the percent sign (%) should not be entered. WdlTn TableNP119 Income or expense is based on a table of values. The number ofwithdrawal transactions each month is processed against the amounts inthe table. (This example refers to the table example given in theprevious section.) Comptd Daily L1 + Add lines 1 and 2, subtract L2 −line 4, then take 50% of L4*.5 the net of that number

[0210] Once a set of terms lines has been established for an ATM, thatset of terms may be copied from a selected source ATM to other targetATMs, easing data entry requirements. This process is useful even if notall of the terms lines for the target ATM are the same as that of thesource ATM. The full set of lines can be copied and additions, changesand/or deletions made to the set belonging to the target ATM to make itcorrect.

[0211] To copy a set of terms lines from one ATM to another, click the“ATM Terms” button on the Main Switchboard and select the target ATM towhich the users want to copy terms lines. Note that any number of termslines may already exist for this ATM—any terms lines copied form anotherATM will be added to the set already present. Click the “Copy More TermsLines” button. Scroll to the source ATM whose lines the users wish tocopy and click the “Duplicate These Terms Lines in the Target ATM”button. The users will be returned to the Target ATM display screen andthe source ATM lines will have been copied to it.

[0212] The users may also copy a terms line from one ATM by selectingthe line (clicking in the gray box on the left of the line), copying it(selecting Edit/Copy of hitting Ctrl+C), and then pasting the line intothe terms of any number of additional ATMs. Remember that the linenumber must be unique within each ATM.

[0213] Monthly accounting is the computation of an income or expensecharge for each terms line for each ATM each month. For the most part,the computations take place on the monthly statistical data in the ATMActivity Module. In a few cases, such as interest charges that must becalculated on the average daily ATM cash balance, the computations takeplace on the daily statistical records.

[0214] The users may have the system compute monthly accounting at anytime during the month, which will result month to date income andexpense costs for the current month.

[0215] To compute monthly accounting income and expenses for a monthlyperiod:

[0216] The system keeps all daily and monthly balances up to date innormal daily processing. However, to make doubly sure that the entiredatabase is in balance before “closing” a month and printing ATM andpartner reports, the users should do the following:

[0217] Using the Audit Checks button on the Main Menu, check for missingdaily records and generate records for any missing days;

[0218] Click the “Calculations” button on the Main Menu;

[0219] Click the “Recompute All Daily Cash Balances” button to ensurethat all cash balances are updated;

[0220] Click the “Rollup All Daily Statistics to Monthly” button toensure that all monthly statistical records reflect the current total ofthe daily records;

[0221] Click the “Recompute All Monthly Accounting” button to recomputeall monthly income and expenses for all ATMs;

[0222] Click the “Recompute All Cash Account Balances” button torecompute all monthly cash account balances for all ATMs.

[0223] The users may now run various reports that contain income andexpense charges. A full list of reports available in the Terms andAccounting Module is given below.

[0224] Partner Groups serve a similar purpose to ATM groups—they gathera number of partners into a collection for reporting or analysispurposes. A Partner Group may contain any number of Partners, and aPartner may participate in any number of groups.

[0225] A Partner Group is defined by clicking the “Partner Groups”button on the Main Menu. On a new line on this form, enter a group nameand a description or purpose for the group. The users may also enterother contact information for the group. Once the Partner Group isdefined, the users may add Partners to or delete Partners from the groupby selecting the group and clicking the “All Groups and Members” buttonat the top of the form. All current members of the group are shown. Toadd another Partner to the group, go to the end of the list and on thefirst blank line use the drop-down list to select the new Partner to beadded. To delete a Partner from the list, click on the Partner's recordselector to the left of the line and press the delete key on thekeyboard. Click OK to confirm the delete.

[0226] Partners may also be added to groups on the Partner form itself.The Groups tab on the Partner form lists the groups in which the Partnercurrently participates. To add another group to the Partner, go to theend of the list and on the first blank line use the drop-down list toselect the new group to be added. To delete a group from the list, clickon the group's record selector to the left of the line and press thedelete key on the keyboard. Click OK to confirm the delete.

[0227] The system Pro provides the user with greater flexibility in thegeneration of Partner related information. This feature can be accessedthrough the Screen Reports, Partner Custom Listing form:

[0228] The Partner Custom Listing form allows a user to sort and filterPartners in several ways such as group, location, status, role, etc.,and then apply that filter to reports. The following reports areavailable on this form:

[0229] Print Preview—a general report on Partners (includes items suchas location and correct name).

[0230] Partner Accounting (Net Due)—a report that provides a summarylist of the net due on Partners Monthly Accounting for a chosen timeperiod.

[0231] Print Partner Monthly Accounting Report—generates the “PartnerMonthly Accounting Report” for a chosen time period.

[0232] Print Partner Monthly Stmts—generates the “Partner's ATM MonthlyStatement” report for a chosen time period.

[0233] Print Partner Daily Transaction Activity Statements—generates the“Partner Daily Transaction Activity Statements” for a chosen timeperiod.

[0234] Export to Accounts Payable—(Optional feature)—begins the exportwizard into Quickbooks

[0235] Note: if the users have used a filter, the reports above willonly include those partners within the group displayed for the chosentime period.

[0236] To generate a report based on selected criteria:

[0237] Click the binocular button in the “Select Criteria” section ofthe Partner Custom Listing Form. This will open the “Partners SearchCriteria” form.

[0238] Select the criteria for which the users would like the system togenerate a search. After selecting the criteria click the “Search”button. The system will open the Partner Custom Listing form displayingthe records that match the usersr search. (Note: the system will alsoplace the criteria used in the “Criteria” box at the top of the form.)

[0239] Select the radio button for the report the users would like togenerate based on the criteria and click “Execute”. The selected reportwill only include those terminals that meet the criteria (and timeperiod, if applicable).

[0240] There is an option to save and recall past search criteria on auser-level. This means that each user on the system can save and recallindividual search criteria. Currently, the system can only store onesearch per user at any one time. Therefore, each time a user saves a newsearch criteria, it will replace any criteria already on file for thatuser.

[0241] To save search criteria, click the binocular button on thePartner Custom Listing form. Then choose the criteria by which the userswould like to search/filter and click the “Search” button. When thesystem returns the users to the Custom Listing form, click the “SaveCriteria” button below the binocular button. The search criteria is nowstored in the usersr user file. The next time the users wish to call upfiles based on the stored search criteria, click the “Recall Criteria”button.

[0242] The following table lists some of the screen reports availablebased on the data in the Terms and Accounting Module. Here's how todisplay them: Screen Report Form Purpose and Notes ATM Terms and Displayof all the terms or Agreement Accounting agreement lines for each ATMTerms Module: ATM (listing any and all partners) Terms Partner Terms andDisplay of all the terms or Agreement Accounting agreement lines foreach Partner Terms Module: Partner (listing any and all ATMs) Screen:Terms button ATM Terms and Display of the income and AccountingAccounting expense computations for each By Mo. Module: ATM ATM for eachmonth (one Accounting button month per screen) Partner Terms and Displayof the income and Accnting Accounting expense computations for each ByMo. Module: Partner Partner for each month (One Accounting button monthper screen) Monthly Screen Reports: Graphically displays in a bar ProfitMonthly Profit chart the net profit for each Charts Charts ATM for eachmonth Monthly ScreenReports: Lists several profit and cost Profit andMonthly Profit and calculations over the last 6 Cost Cost Comparisonmonths for each ATM, and Comparison ranks them from the highest to thelowest Monthly ScreenReports: Lists monthly profit Profit Monthly Profitcomparisons and ranks them Comparison Comparison from the highest tolowest Monthly Screen Reports: Lists monthly profit Profit MonthlyProfit comparisons by group and lists Comparison Comparison by them byalpha by Group Group ATMs With No Audit Checks: Lists all terms andconditions Accounting ATMs With No that have one or more missing TermsAccounting Terms factors

[0243] The following table lists the printed reports available based onthe data in the Terms and Accounting Module. Here's how to produce them:Report Form Purpose and Notes Partner Printed Reports: Listing of allpartners with Master Partner Master List contact names, addresses, phoneList numbers and e-mail addresses Partner Printed Reports: Listing ofthe role and Roles and Partner Roles and relationship check boxes forall Relation- Relationships partners ships ATM Monthly Printed Reports:ATM's ranked by average Profit ATM Monthly profit contribution andgrouped Comparison Profit Comparison by status code. Monthly PrintedReports: Prints the average net profit Profit ATM Monthly over the last6 months for each Comparison Profit Comparison ATM, and ranks them fromthe highest to the lowest ATM Agreement Printed Reports: Expiredagreement terms on file Terms - ATM Agreement for all partners of an ATMExpired Terms ATM Agreement Printed Reports: Agreement terms not yet inTerms - ATM Agreement effect for all partners of an Future Terms ATM ATMAgreement Printed Reports: Agreement terms on file for all Terms ATMAgreement partners of an ATM Terms- and - Terms and Accounting Module:ATM Terms: Preview Report button Partner Printed Reports: Agreementterms on file for all Agreement ATM Agreement ATMs for a partner. TermsTerms- and - Terms and Accounting Module: Partners: Terms: PreviewReport ATM Monthly Printed Reports: Monthly accounting Accounting ATMGroup computations for an ATM for Monthly all partners in the ATM, basedAccounting -and- on the terms current for a period Terms and AccountingModule: ATM Accounting: Monthly Accounting Report button Partner PrintedReports: Monthly accounting Monthly Partner Group computations for apartner for Accounting Monthly all ATMs in which the partner Accountingparticipates, for one month, and - Screen based on the terms current forReports: that period. This report has a Partner Custom large top marginso that it can Listing- and - be printed on the usersr Terms andletterhead paper. Accounting Module: Partner Accounting: AccountingReport Partner Screen Reports: Monthly accounting Monthly Partner Customcomputations for a partner for Statement Listing one ATM for one monthwith and- charts of daily activity and Terms and documentation ofaccounting Accounting terms in effect. Includes the Module: Partneruser's Company Name form the Accounting: Configuration Screen in theMonthly Statement header of the report. Partner Screen Reports: Monthlytransaction, income Transaction Partner Custom and expense data for allATMs Activity Listing in which the partner participates Statement and-for a month. Terms and Accounting Module: Partner Accounting: TxnActivity Statement Average Screen Reports: ATM's ranked by monthlyProfit Monthly Profit and average profit. (Double-click ContributionCost Comparison on “Avg Profit Contrib” label and click “Print Preview”for report.) Profit Per Screen Reports: ATM's ranked by monthlySurcharge Monthly Profit and profit per surcharge txn. Transaction CostComparison (Double-click on “Profit/Surch Txn” label and click “PrintPreview” for report.) Profit Per Screen Reports: ATM's ranked by monthlyTotal Monthly Profit and profit per total txns. (Double- TransactionsCost Comparison click on “Profit/Surch Txn” label and click “PrintPreview” for report.) Interest Per Screen Reports: ATM's ranked bymonthly Surcharge Monthly Profit and interest per surcharge txn.Transaction Cost Comparison (Double-click on “Interest/Surchg Txn” labeland click “Print Preview” for report.) Armored Car Screen Reports: ATM'sranked by armored car Expense Monthly Profit and expense per surchargetxn. Per Surcharge Cost Comparison (Double-click on “ArmCar Exp/Surchg”label and click “Print Preview” for report.) ATMs With No Audit ChecksLists all terms and conditions Accounting that have one or more missingTerms factors (click “Preview Report”)

[0244] The system Cash Management Module tracks cash balances in eachATM, provides cash ordering functions, records armored car ATM cashreplenishment actions, and keeps ledgers of cash amounts or liabilitiesat various locations such as the ATM itself, bank accounts, armored cardepots and selected partners. The Cash Management Module anticipatescash shortages at ATMs and suggests cash orders to replenish the cashbefore it runs out.

[0245] In the ATM record display (Terminals and Txn Activity) there area number of fields associated with the cash management function. If theusers intend to manage or track cash balances for an ATM, the “MonitorCash” check box in the ATM record must be checked. This check boxindicates to the Cash Management Module that the ATM should appear onits various screens.

[0246] In the system Terminals and Txn Activity, ATM cash withdrawalactivity is captured daily from processor-supplied information or manualdata entry. This allows the Cash Management Module to compute theremaining cash balance in the ATM, and sets the stage for the cashreplenishment functions described below.

[0247] Cash Accounts are bank or vault cash accounts to which cash isdeposited or from which cash is withdrawn. Each cash order withdrawscash from a cash account for delivery to ATMs. The account may be themain cash supplier account (e.g. a bank account) or some other cashaccount (e.g. at an armored car location) where sufficient cash isavailable. When cash is returned from a cash load because the load was aswap or because all the cash ordered could not be added to the ATM forsome reason, the returned cash must be deposited into an available bankaccount.

[0248] Money in cash accounts may be designated as interest bearing ornot. For example, cash in an armored carrier's vault may be interestbearing while cash returned to a main source of cash account may not beinterest bearing.

[0249] Money may be transferred between bank accounts. For example, theusers may direct or armored car carrier to transfer excess funds kept intheir account back to the main bank account in order to reduce interestcosts.

[0250] The total cash exposure of a group of ATMs may be tracked as thetotal of cash in ATMs or due to be delivered to ATMs and the total ofcash held in various cash accounts.

[0251] Cash Accounts may be viewed by clicking the Cash Account buttonon the Main Menu. To see the detail withdrawals and deposits to any cashaccount, click the Account Details button. In general, withdrawals fromand deposits to cash accounts are the byproduct of The systemtransactions such as cash orders and ATM loads, and no directmaintenance of the cash account transactions is necessary. The users mayprint a statement for any period for a cash account by clicking the CashAccount Activity button on the Printed Reports

[0252] To open a cash account, click the Add New Cash Account button onthe Cash Account screen, enter a name for the account, select a partnerthat owns the account, and check the Compute Interest box if money inthe account is interest bearing. Several other optional fields areavailable on the form to further document the cash account if the userswish. Close the form and the new account is available for use.

[0253] To view a daily summary of account activity, click the AccountDetails button on the Cash Account screen. The following Cash AccountTransactions will be displayed:

[0254] Cash account transactions are deposits to or withdrawals from theaccount. Deposits can occur by cash being returned from an ATM (e.g. aswap or all the cash would not fit) or cash transferred from anotheraccount. If cash is returned from an ATM, the Terminal ID appears in theTerminal ID column. If cash is transferred from another account, theAccount Name appears in the Transfer Acct column. Withdrawals occur whena cash order is placed on the account. The Cash Order ID will appear inthe Order ID column. Dates on which there are no account transactionswill still appear in the list, as interest may need to be computed onthe account balance on those days.

[0255] Cash account balances indicate where the user's money is located.To make the best use of the money the users may need to transfer it fromone location to another. To transfer money directly between two cashaccounts, click the Cash Acct Transfers button on the Cash Accountscreen and the following screen will be displayed:

[0256] Select the account sending cash, the account receiving cash, andthe date and amount of the transfer. The users may optionally enter acomment or note for this transfer to help document the reason for thetransfer. Click the Post Cash Transfer button to post the transfer tothe database.

[0257] Click the Review Cash Transfers button on the Cash AccountTransfers screen to change information about any cash transfer the usershave already posted:

[0258] All cash transfers on file are listed on the screen. The displaymay be sorted by any column by double-clicking on the correspondingcolumn header. Find the transfer the users wish to change. Enter onlythe changes necessary in the fields at the top of the screen and clickthe Post Changes button. The system will make the necessary changes andupdate all cash account balances. Click the Delete Cash Transfers buttonon the Cash Account Transfers screen to delete a cash transfer the usershave already posted:

[0259] All transfers currently within the system will be listed on thisscreen and assigned a sequence number. The display may be sorted by anycolumn by double-clicking on the corresponding column header. To deletea transfer, find the transfer the users wish to change, enter its “Seq#” in the field at the top of the form and click the delete button. Thesystem will delete the cash transfer from all accounts.

[0260] The following fields occur on the master ATM record display usingthe Cash Management Tab, and pertain to the cash management function.Complete entry of this information provides for speedy cash managementoperations. Field Description Monitor Cash A check box indicating thatcash is to be monitored (viewed on certain forms and charts) for thisATM. Certain ATM information will not appear in the Cash Managementscreens unless this box is checked Cash Responsibility Pointer topartner that is responsible for cash management Cash Rented From Pointerto partner from whom is rented Cash Rented Pointer to a cash accountthat is the main source of Account cash for this ATM Armored Car Thenormal armored car service that delivers cash to this ATM. Only thosepartner records show in this drop-down list that have been checked as anarmored car service. Cash Return Pointer to the cash account used todeposit Account returned funds from this ATM Add or Swap Is the normalcash replenishment operation an Add or a Swap. If no entry is made inthis field, the operation is assumed to be a Swap. Cash Low Limit If thelow point for cash replenishment planning purposes is not zero, enterthe desired cash low point (e.g. 500) GL Cost Center A General Ledgeraccount code for this ATM. Used to provide an interface report to theuser's G/L system. Propose Order Indicates to the cash forecastingsystem how to Using suggest a new order amount. Standard indicates touse the standard amount; Computed indicates to compute an amount abasedon the average withdrawals times the number of days to cover plus paddays. Standard Load The normal cash replenishment amount Amount Numberof 5s The number of $5 bills in the normal cash replenishment amountNumber of 10s The number of $10 bills in the normal cash replenishmentamount Number of 20s The number of $20 bills in the normal cashreplenishment amount Number of 50s The number of $50 bills in the normalcash replenishment amount Number of 100s The number of $100 bills in thenormal cash replenishment amount Order Lead Time The expected lead timein calendar days from date of issuing order in the usersr department tothe date of armored car pickup. Days Order To The number of days acomputed order amount is to Cover cover Days To Pad Order The number ofpad days to add to the Day Order To Cover days in computing thesuggested order amount

[0261] Deposits to the ATM are applied before withdrawals. This onlyaffects the ATM cash balances for swaps. Adds are not affected. Thiswill have some affect on the Cash Needs/Forecasting because the ATMbalance will be somewhat lower at the end of the day for Swaps. CashCost interest calculations are not affected by this change.

[0262] Cash balances for ATMs are (re)computed whenever any of severalevents occur:

[0263] the cash withdrawal amount in an existing daily record ischanged;

[0264] records from the Import Edit File are posted to the database;

[0265] a cash order is posted to the database, thereby updating the cashbalance with pending deliveries field,

[0266] a cash load is posted via the Cash Load screen, thereby updatingthe cash balance with confirmed deliveries field, or

[0267] cash load information is changed manually in an existing dailyrecord.

[0268] In each of these cases, after the new entry or modification ismade to the database, The system will immediately re-compute the dailyending cash balances affected by the change, and roll that balanceforward through all more recent activity on file.

[0269] The Cash Summary button on the Main Menu provides comprehensiveinformation about the cash usage history of the ATM, the current cashstatus, and projections about future cash usage. The Cash Summary formlooks like this:

[0270] This screen has four parts:

[0271] Daily Cash Remaining Chart

[0272] This chart shows the daily cash balance at the end of each day inthe ATM. The chart displays data for the last six months, if there isthat much history in the database. This chart can be very useful inanalyzing the rate at which cash is being withdrawn, and the frequencyand amounts of cash loads to the ATM.

[0273] Cash Summary

[0274] The cash summary box shows the following information: FieldDescription Today Is Today's date Last ATM Last date for which a dailyrecord is on file. Helps Data determine how current the projectionsbelow will be. Cash Left Amount of cash left in the ATM on the Last Datadate Then above Average Average withdrawal amount per day. The number ofdays With- included in this calculation is set in the system drawals/configuration. Day Days Left Computation of how many days of cash areleft in the ATM from based on the Avg WD/day Today Out Of Computation ofwhen the ATM will run out of cash based Cash on the above calculationsAdd or Is the ATM marked for a regular Add or Sap operation Swap LowLimit Lowest amount of cash to be kept in the ATM. Base Base a proposedorder on either the Standard amount or a Order Computed amount OnStandard The standard cash load amount, taken from the entry in theOrder cash management section of the ATM record Amount StandardComputation of how many days the standard load amount Order will lastbased on the Avg WD/day Will Last Order For a computed order amount, thenumber of days the order Duration is to cover Pad Days For a computedorder amount, the number of pad days to add to the Order Duration daysComputed The result of adding the number of Order Duration days andOrder Pad Days, and multiplying the total by the average Amountwithdrawal amount (which is based on the number of days specified in theSystem Configuration screen) Computed The number of days that thecomputed amount will last Order Will Last Replenish- The desiredreplenishment cycle for this ATM ment Cycle Replenish- For areplenishment cycle of Bi-weekly or monthly, a ment selection of the “A”week or the “B” week Week Replenish- The days of the week that thearmored service will replenish ment this ATM without extra charges Days

[0275] Cash Load History

[0276] This box contains a scroll list of the cash loads made to theATM, their date and whether they were a cash add or canister swap

[0277] Unconfirmed and Future Cash Orders

[0278] This box contains a scroll list of any new cash orders that havebeen issued for the ATM, but for which the cash has not yet beendelivered. The orders are designated as posted or not posted. Un-postedorders are considered works in process (i.e. incomplete) but are listedin this box for information purposes.

[0279] For more detailed analysis on the underlying data of any ATM, theusers may click the Daily Transaction History button at the top of thescreen to display all of the daily records on file for the ATM. Closingthe Daily Transaction History button will return the users to the CashSummary screen.

[0280] Taken together, these four parts of the Cash Summary screen givea broad view of the history, current status, cash usage projections andscheduled cash replenishments for each cash monitored ATM. The entiredisplay can be printed by clicking the Print Preview button at the topof the screen.

[0281] The Cash Needs button on the Main Menu displays each cashmonitored ATM listed in order by the estimated out-of-cash date. TheCash Needs form looks like this:

[0282] This display is useful in determining which ATMs are due to runout of cash first and what action, if any, has been taken so far inreplenishing the cash. A horizontal scroll bar at the bottom of thescreen allows the users to see more information on each line. The fieldson this display are explained below: Field Description Est DateProjection of the date that cash will run out of Cash Out the ATM basedon the average daily withdrawal rate Terminal Terminal ID LocationTerminal Location Date of Last date that processor data is on file LastTxns On File Csh Left Estimated remaining cash on the last date of OnLast processor data on file Txn Date Average Computation of the averagewithdrawal amount per With- day based on the number of days specified inthe drawals System Configuration Screen Per Day Load Date Date of lastcash load Load Amt Amount of last cash load A/S Indication of whetherlast load was a swap or an add Repl Currently stored replenishmentinformation. Cycle/ (Data entered into ATM Terminals Screen,Replenishment Segment/ tab.) Days Order Order date proposed by thesystem. The system uses the Date Delivery Date and the data entered intothe “Order Lead Time” field of the ATM Terminals' Cash Management tab todetermine a date by which cash should be ordered. Delivery Delivery dateproposed by the system. The system uses Date the Est Date Cash Out andthe data entered into the ATM Terminals' Replenishment tab (e.g.,Replenishment Cycle) to determine what the next delivery date for thecash should be. Order Currently stored default order information. (DataBase entered into ATM Terminals Screen, Cash Management tab, e.g.,Computed or Standard) Order Proposed cash order amount. (The order basedetermines Amount how this amount is calculated. For details on Computedversus Standard, please refer to the Cash Orders section below.) A/SCurrently stored Add/Swap information. (Data entered into ATM TerminalsScreen, Cash Management tab.) Will Last Number of days the proposedorder should last. (Days) (Based on average withdrawals.) Days w/Average withdrawals have been projected and this field Cash shows thenumber of days after today that the ATM will after have cash availableToday Days Left The number of days left from the date of last processorOn Date data on file. Note the difference between this date and Of theDays Left with Cash after Today Last Txns Posted A number appearing inthis column indicates the number Overdue of cash deliveries that havebeen included in the Cash De- Left amount prior to today. These aredeliveries that liveries have not been confirmed by entering the datafrom an Included armored car replenishment report Estimated The totalamount of cash available to the ATM including Cash future deliveriescontained in posted cash orders With Future Delvries Posted A numberappearing in this column indicates the number Future of future cashdeliveries that have been included in De- the Estimated Cash With FutureDeliveries amount liveries Included

[0283] Entries on this list may need deeper investigation.Double-clicking on any line of this display will produce the CashSummary screen for the selected ATM.

[0284] A printed report of the same Projected ATM Cash Needs data isavailable by clicking the Preview Report button at the top of thedisplay.

[0285] There is also a Cash Order Worksheet Report available via abutton on the top of the screen. This report lists all active terminalsfor which the Monitor Cash box is checked, much of the same informationon the ATM Cash Needs screen, and additional information such asreplenishment cycle data and the system's next proposed order amount.This worksheet can be useful for both review and planning.

[0286] Cash Replenishments are considered to take place at the beginningof a day, the middle of the day, or the end of the day, depending on theuser's choice. Deposits to the ATM are applied before withdrawals. Thisonly affects the ATM cash balances for swaps. Cash adds are notaffected. This will have some affect on the Cash Needs/Forecastingbecause the ATM balance will be somewhat lower at the end of the day forSwaps. Cash Cost interest calculations are not affected. Only postedorders are considered when computing when an ATM will run out of cash.However, on drill down to the cash chart, all orders on file will showregardless of whether they have been posted.

[0287] The Cash Summary screen and the Projected Cash Needs screendescribed above alert the user to additional cash needed at ATMs. Thecash ordering process described here allows the user to order cash fromappropriate sources to replenish cash in the ATMs. The Cash Order formlooks like this:

[0288] The Cash Orders button on the Main Menu displays the Cash Ordersscreen. This screen lists all cash orders on file sorted by the OrderID. Each Cash Order is comprised of order header information thatapplies to the entire order, and order detail information where eachline pertains to one ATM. One cash order can be for many ATMs but mustbe to one and only one cash source (e.g. bank) and one customer.

[0289] Order header information is the following: Field DescriptionOrder ID User defined ID to uniquely identify this order. From Orderoriginator - usually the usersr company To Organization with whom thecash order is being placed Order Amount Total amount of the detail linesof the order. This number is checked against the total of the actualline items before the order can be released. Status User defined orderstatus code. An order in the “Released” status cannot be changed.Confirmation Response confirmation code from the Organization with whomthe cash order is being placed Order Date Date the order was placedCustomer The customer for whom the cash is being ordered and who will becharged interest Source of Cash The cash account from which the cashwill be withdrawn Instructions Special Instructions for this cash order.(see tab also)

[0290] Order detail lines on the order detail tab indicate for whichATMs cash is being ordered, what amount and in what denominations. Thefields in the Cash Order detail lines are as follows: Cash Order DetailTab Field Description Terminal ID Select the desired terminal from thedrop-down list. Location The location of the terminal will beautomatically filled in when the terminal is selected Charge Date Datefrom which interest is to be charged on this ATM order amount PickupDate Date the cash is to be picked up by the armored carrier Need DateDate the cash is needed at the ATM Amount Filled in automatically fromstandard ordering Ordered information in the ATM record if present. Maybe changed if desired. If not available from the ATM record, an entrymust be made. {The order amount for a de-install Action should be 0.)Action R for Replenishment; A for adjustment amount; D for de-install.Defaults to Replenishment Add or Swap Filled in automatically fromstandard ordering information in the ATM record if present. May bechanged if desired. If not available from the ATM record, an entry mustbe made. 5s Filled in automatically from standard ordering informationin the ATM record if present. May be changed if desired. If notavailable from the ATM record, an entry must be made. 10s Filled inautomatically from standard ordering information in the ATM record ifpresent. May be changed if desired. If not available from the ATMrecord, an entry must be made. 20s Filled in automatically from standardordering information in the ATM record if present. May be changed ifdesired. If not available from the ATM record, an entry must be made.50s Filled in automatically from standard ordering information in theATM record if present. May be changed if desired. If not available fromthe ATM record, an entry must be made. 100s Filled in automatically fromstandard ordering information in the ATM record if present. May bechanged if desired. If not available from the ATM record, an entry mustbe made. Armored Filled in automatically from standard ordering Car/Cashinformation in the ATM record if present. May be Delivery changed ifdesired. If not available from the ATM Service record, an entry must bemade.

[0291] In the system, a Cash Order consists of one or more ATM CashOrder lines and has a status of either posted or not posted. Cash ordersthat are posted are locked to further edits while orders that are notposted are considered works in progress and may be edited.

[0292] There are two ways to generate a new Cash Order:

[0293] An order can be added in the Cash Orders screen by pressing the“Add New Order” button. This action will generate a blank order that canbe completed; or—

[0294] The system can also generate a “proposed” or temporary order whenthe “Proposed New Cash Order” button is pressed. This order can beedited but remains temporary and will not be saved unless the word“Proposed” in the Order ID field is replaced with a unique Order IDdesignation before the screen is closed. The ATM Cash Order lines thatare included in the order are based on the cash needs of each ATMterminal at the time the process is run. [Note: closing the Cash OrderProposal screen does not post an order. An order must be posted from theCash Orders screen].

[0295] There are two sections to a Cash Order. The first section,located at the top of the screen contains general information relatingto the order such as Order ID, Order Date, etc. This “Header” sectionhas several required fields and verifications built into it. (e.g., theOrder ID field must be completed and does not allow duplicates).

[0296] The second section of a Cash Order contains the “Body” of theorder. In this section, all ATMs requiring cash loads are listedline-by-line. This section also has several required fields andverifications. Each line is checked as it is entered into the system. Ifany required fields are omitted, an error message is displayed and theline is not added to the Cash Order.

[0297] The system will also fill in appropriate information pertainingto an order where possible. (e.g., for each new ATM Cash Order line, itis assumed that the order is for a replenishment. Therefore, an “R” isentered into the “Actn” field automatically.)

[0298] In addition, when a terminal is selected, the system will supplyany defaults that have been entered in the ATM setup screens. (e.g., ifan armored car has been designated in the ATM setup screen, then it willbe filled in on the ATM Cash Order line.) The system also fills in anamount for the “Amount Ordered” and number of bills. The figures thatare placed in these fields are based on the following:

[0299] If the “Propose Order Using” calculation has been set to“standard” or is blank on the ATM Cash Management tab:

[0300] If data has been provided for both the standard amount and numberof bills, the system will fill in the appropriate data.

[0301] If no data has been provided for either the standard amount ornumber of bills, the system will place $0s in the “Amount Ordered” andbill fields.

[0302] If the “Propose Order Using” calculation has been set to“computed” on the ATM Cash Management tab:

[0303] If data has not been entered into “Days To Order” and “Days toPad” under the “Computed Order Section”, the system will place $0s inthe “Amount Ordered” and bill fields.

[0304] If the “Computed Order Section” has been filled in, the systemwill calculate the “Amount Ordered” and:

[0305] where only one “bill” has been designated (i.e. only 20s), thesystem will calculate the appropriate number of bills for the computedamount.

[0306] where more than one “bill” has been designated (i.e. 10s, 20s and50s), the system will place $0s in each of the bill fields.

[0307] where no “bills” have been designated, the system will place $0sin each of the bill fields.

[0308] The data that the system places in a Cash Order can be changed aslong as an order has not been posted. If the amount is changed, thesystem will recalculate the number of bills. Note: this feature onlyworks when the ATM has been setup with one standard bill type. Once anOrder has been posted it is locked from any further changes. Once a CashOrder is complete and published to others, it should be posted.

[0309] It is important to “Post” cash orders when they are ready to beissued because the posting process performs a final series of checks toensure that the order is complete and in balance. The following is alist of the verifications that the system makes:

[0310] The order has not been already posted.

[0311] The order has an “Order Date”.

[0312] The order has a “Source of Cash (Account)”.

[0313] The order has no ATM Cash Order lines with an amount ordered of$0 and an “Action” code of “R”.

[0314] The order has at least one “Charge Date”.

[0315] Each ATM Cash Order line must have an “Armored Car/Cash DeliveryService” designated.

[0316] Each ATM Cash Order line must have a “Need Date”.

[0317] The total bills on each ATM Cash Order line must equal the“Amount Ordered” for that line.

[0318] A “Total Amount” has been entered in the “Header” section and itmatches the “Total Amount Order” from the sum of the ATM Cash Orderlines.

[0319] If there are any problems encountered with the verificationprocess, the order is not posted and a message is displayed describingthe error.

[0320] If there were no problems during the posting process, the orderis posted and locked. When an order is posted, the following takesplace:

[0321] The system posts each ATM Cash Order line to the appropriatesource of cash account.

[0322] The system issues a “memo post” of pending delivery records tocash tracking.

[0323] These last two processes do not occur until an order is posted.

[0324] New orders entered into the database are in an “Unposted” stateand are considered open batches until Posted. Cash Orders must be“Posted” to

[0325] have them appear as a withdrawal against the Source of Cashaccount,

[0326] have pending deliveries posted to the individual ATMs,

[0327] be available for subsequent cash deliveries (loads), and

[0328] have the individual order lines appear on the Daily Transactionsform for each ATM in the order.

[0329] A red banner will appear in the Cash Order header if the Orderhas not been posted. The users may add, change and delete informationfrom the Cash Order as long as it has not been posted.

[0330] To Post a Cash Order, click the Post Order button in the formheader. In order to have a successful post, there must be valid entriesin the Order ID, Order Date, Order Amount, Charge Date and Source OfCash fields. Further, the Order Amount in the header must match thetotal of the Order Detail lines. Posting an order “lights up” theDelivery tab on the Cash Order form.

[0331] Once a Cash Order has been posted, the banner in the form headerwill reflect that status and the order may not be posted again. Further,once posted, the order amount for each ATM is considered “in-transit” tothe ATM and interest is charged on the amount to the ATM from the ChargeDate. This timing and interest expense is reflected on the ATM DailyTransaction Statistics—Cash Tracking form.

[0332] Clicking the “Unposted Orders” button in the Cash Order formheader will reduce the display to only those Cash Orders that areunposted, so that they may be located and processed more easily.

[0333] Cash Orders with no associated terminal cash load (delivery) canbe edited.

[0334] Editing the Detail Line of a Cash Order

[0335] To edit the detail line of a cash order, click the edit buttonlocated on the line. The following screen will be displayed:

[0336] Any changes to the detail line can be made directly to thisscreen. Once all changes have been made, click the “Save Changes”button. The system will analyze the changes. If any errors areencountered (e.g., amount ordered does not match number of bills), thesystem will report the error and the changes will not be saved. If noerrors are found the changes are saved to the order. Note: If the amountordered has changed, the system will automatically adjust the totalamount of the order.

[0337] To remove a terminal from a cash order, click the “Delete”button. A message will be displayed asking for confirmation. If “Yes” isselected, the terminal will be deleted. If “No” is selected, theterminal is not deleted.

[0338] To leave form without saving changes, click the “Cancel” button.The form will close and no changes will be saved.

[0339] To edit the main information of a cash order, click the editbutton located in the top section of the cash order screen. Thefollowing screen will be displayed:

[0340] Changes to a Cash Order can be made directly to this screen, withthe exception of fields with a gray background. Once all changes havebeen made, click the “Save Changes” button. The system will analyze thechanges. If any errors are encountered, the system will report the errorand the changes will not be saved. If no errors are found the changesare saved to the order. Note: The total amount of an order cannot bechanged. However, the amount will be adjusted by the system if changesare made to the amount of an order detail line.

[0341] To leave form without saving changes, click the “Cancel” button.The form will close and no changes will be saved.

[0342] Cash order delivery information on the delivery detail tabreflects any deliveries recorded for individual cash order lines. Thesefields may not be updated on this screen—only via the separate cashdelivery screens.

[0343] The fields in the Cash Order Delivery Detail tab are as follows:Cash Order Delivery Detail Tab Field Description Terminal ID From theorder detail tab Location From the order detail tab Amount From theorder detail tab Ordered Armored Car/ From the order detail tab CashDelivery Service Exp Delivery Expected delivery date Delivery Blank ifdelivery has not yet been made for this Date ATM cash order line. If anentry is present, the date the delivery was made. Cash Counted Blank ifdelivery has not yet been made for this ATM cash order line. If an entryis present, the amount of cash counted as present in the ATM before anyadditions Cash Loaded Blank if delivery has not yet been made for thisATM cash order line. If an entry is present, the amount of cash added toor swapped into the ATM. Status Status of delivery Actn Action fordelivery Add or Swap From the order detail tab Cash Retrnd Blank ifdelivery has not yet been made for this ATM cash order line. If an entryis present, the amount of cash swapped out of the ATM or returned forany other reason (e.g. would not fit).

[0344] To enter a new cash order, click the Add Icon button at the topof the screen, and proceed to enter order header and detail information.

[0345] If the user wishes, the system will prepare a suggested new cashorder for the users. Click the “Proposed New Cash Order” button at thetop of the screen and the system will create a new cash order with orderlines for each ATM projected to run out of cash in the next 10 days andfor which an outstanding cash order is not already on file. The usersmay add to, delete lines from, or edit the proposed lines for thissuggested cash order and save it under an Order ID of the user's own ifthe users wish. If the users close the suggested cash order withoutsaving it under an Order ID of the user's own, it is not saved.

[0346] After creating a new cash order, the users may wish to print acopy of the order and fax it to the cash source for processing. A buttonlabeled “Cash Order Report” is available at the top right of the screenfor this purpose. Remember, as cash deliveries are made and recorded inthe Cash Loads portion of this module, certain delivery information isappended to the individual order lines to reflect those deliveries. Thestatus of any cash order may be printed at any time and deliveryinformation on file up to that point will be reflected on the printedreport.

[0347] The Cash Loads button on the Main Menu displays the Post CashLoads by Armored Car or Cash Source screen. This screen lists eacharmored car delivery service or cash supplier. For each such entity, allopen ATM cash order lines (those order lines for which a delivery hasnot been made) are listed in sequence by date of order. The earliestorder lines for each entry will be shown first, since these are theorders most likely to be delivered first.

[0348] In posting a cash load, normally the users will have somedocument in hand that confirms that the delivery was made on a certaindate, and how the replenishment was handled. These documents should bekept in a file for later reference if needed.

[0349] Cash Loads are usually posted by ATM Terminal ID. Click the CashLoads button on the Main Menu. This screen gives access to all open ATMcash orders by Terminal ID. The combo box (down arrow) on the TerminalID field will offer a list of open ATM cash orders from which to choose.

[0350] There are two options available for matching cash orders. If theoption button indicates “Require Match to Outstanding Cash Orders,” thenonly Terminal IDs with open cash order lines (those order lines forwhich a delivery has not been made) appear in the drop-down box.

[0351] If the option button indicates “Skip Cash Order Match Rqmt—ShowAll Terminals”, then all Terminal IDs are available and no attempt ismade to match the cash loads entered with open cash orders. This latterchoice should only be used to load historical data into the database,since as a general rule cash orders should be under the control of Thesystem first before cash loads are posted. Using this option, when theusers select a Terminal ID, The system does not fill in an order amount.The users may then enter the same six fields described above, click“Post Cash Load” and The system will log the delivery into the dailytransaction records and re-compute the ATM cash balances as indicatedabove. The users may then continue immediately with the next cashdelivery entry, repeating until the users are done

[0352] If amounts are entered in both the Cash Counted Before Additionsand the ATM Count Before Additions fields, and they are not the sameamount, then The system Pro calculates an over or short amount. ForAdds, the net effect of the over or short remains in the ATM accountbalances. For Swaps, the net effect of the over or short condition istransferred to the Returned Cash Account.

[0353] If an amount is entered in the Cash Returned field, then an entryin the Deposit Account for Cash Returned must be made. The system Prowill enter a default account for the users if one has been provided inthe ATM screens.

[0354] If a Deposit Date is not entered, then the deposit date isconsidered the same date as the Cash Load Date. Interest stops on thereturned cash on the (assumed) Deposit Date.

[0355] General Facts on Open ATM Cash Orders and Pending Cash DeliveryRecords

[0356] In the system, a Cash Order is comprised of any number of ATMCash Order lines. The Cash Order posting process conducts many checks onthe entire Cash Order, ensuring that it is complete and in balance, andthen locks the order from further changes. Unposted Cash Orders areconsidered to be works in process that can be modified until posted.Once a Cash Order is complete and issued to other organizations, itshould be posted.

[0357] Each ATM Cash Order line is an open ATM order for that ATM untila delivery is posted against it. Once a delivery is posted for the ATMCash Order, it is considered a completed ATM order.

[0358] When the users post a Cash Order, The system adds a pending ATMdelivery record to the database for each open ATM order, that is if theorder line had not already been delivered and completed (this ispossible because unposted cash orders will accept deliveries for theiropen ATM order lines). These pending ATM deliveries will NOT show forunposted Cash Orders

[0359] In order for this process to work properly, the Need Date (orFill Date) is a required entry on each ATM order line for a successfulpost of the order.

[0360] On the Daily Statistics Screen tabs, the pending cash deliverieswill show an status indicator field of “*P*” in a blue color if they arepending for a future date, and an indicator field of “*OD*” in a redcolor if the expected delivery date has passed (overdue deliveries). TheATM Cash Order Fill Date (Need Date) field is used as the assumed dateof the pending cash delivery.

[0361] After a Recalc (e.g. from a daily import) the pending deliveriesand status indicators will also show on the Cash Tracking tab. Twofields are now displayed on the Cash Tracking Tab, the estimated cashleft in the ATM with confirmed deliveries, and the estimated cash leftincluding any overdue pending deliveries. (No amount is assumed to bereturned from the delivery, e.g. for swaps).

[0362] The Cash Delivery Screen Terminal ID combo box shows all open ATMcash orders, whether they have a pending cash delivery record or not.

[0363] The Cash Loads Overdue screen shows all overdue cash deliveries,whether they have a pending cash delivery record or not.

[0364] When posting an actual cash delivery, the pending cash deliveryis deleted and the information from the actual delivery replaces it. Allcash balances are then updated.

[0365] The pending cash order information is NOT available to change onthe Cash Load Changes screen as it represents open ATM orders for cash,and not confirmed deliveries.

[0366] The Cash Needs Screen and Report include overdue delivery amountsin the Estimated ATM Balance and show separately any scheduled futureloads. This better identifies what ATMs need cash the soonest.

[0367] The overdue delivery status field is reset in the once-a-daystartup, changing any pending deliveries whose dates have passed tooverdue status.

[0368] Each cash load is treated as happening at the beginning of theday. As a result, the ATM balance is an estimated balance because theactual load could have occurred anytime during the day and the systemdoesn't know how many transactions during the day occurred prior to orafter the actual load.

[0369] Estimated ATM Balances:

[0370] For an Add,

[0371] the cash counted adjusts the cash in the ATM

[0372] (the cash counted is taken over any potentially different amountin the ATM Count field)

[0373] For a Swap,

[0374] the cash added resets the balance in the ATM

[0375] Finding Cash Liability:

[0376] For An Add,

[0377] if the Cash Counted and ATM Counts were supplied,

[0378] the over/short amount is calculated as the cash counted−the ATMcount

[0379] the ending cash liability=the previous day's ending liability

[0380] −today's withdrawals

[0381] +any new cash charged today

[0382] −any actual cash returned

[0383] +the over/short amount

[0384] if both the Cash Counted and ATM Counts were not supplied,

[0385] (there is not enough info to calculate an over or short)

[0386] the ending cash liability=the previous day's ending liability

[0387] −today's withdrawals

[0388] +any new cash charged today

[0389] −any actual cash returned

[0390] For a Swap

[0391] the ending cash liability=the previous day's ending liability

[0392] −today's withdrawals

[0393] +any new cash charged today

[0394] −the actual cash returned

[0395] To change load information on cash loads already posted, clickthe Change Load Info button on the Cash Loads screen:

[0396] All cash loads on file are listed in order by Terminal ID. Findthe terminal owning the load the users wish to change. Enter only thechanges necessary in the fields at the top of the screen and click thePost Changes button. The system will make the necessary changes andupdate all ATM and cash account balances.

[0397] The Cash Loads Overdue button in the header of the Cash Loadscreen displays all cash orders that have not been delivered and arepast their expected delivery date. The list may also be printed from thesame screen. The printed report may be used as a worksheet to track themissing or overdue cash loads.

[0398] The following table lists the screen reports available from theCash Management and how to display them: Screen Report Form Purpose andNotes Cash Summary Cash Management: Cash history, current status andCash Summary projections for an ATM button Cash Needs Cash Management:Computations of cash needs and Cash Needs button accompanying open cashorders for all ATMs Cash Orders Cash Management: Catalog of all cashorders on Cash Orders button file, with optional line item deliverystatus

[0399] The following table lists the printed reports available from theCash Management and how to produce them: Report Form Purpose and NotesCash Cash Management: Cash history, current status and Summary CashSummary: projections for an ATM Report Cash Needs Cash Management:Computations of cash needs and Cash Needs: Preview accompanying opencash orders Report for all ATMs Cash Order Cash Management:Documentation of each cash Cash Orders: Cash order Order Rpt. Cash OrderCash Management: Documentation of each cash Status Cash Orders: Cashorder and delivery status of Order Status Rpt. each order line ATM CashATM Daily Provides detailed daily cash Flow Transaction flow for aterminal for a month, Tracking Statistics: Cash including withdrawals bySheet Tracking Report Tab settlement day, cash orders, and the Printedcash loads, over and shorts, Reports Form cash liability and interestcharges ATM Group ATM Group Form Lists each ATM in a Group and Cash Con-and Printed Reports for any period the opening cash solidation Form:Group Cash liability, withdrawals by by Flow by Terminal settlement day,cash orders, Terminal Button cash loads, ending liability and interestcharges during the period ATM Group ATM Group Form Lists each day in aperiod the Cash Con- and Printed Reports summary for all ATMs in asolidation Form: Group Cash Group, listing the total opening by DateFlow by Date Button cash liability, withdrawals by settlement day, cashorders, cash loads, ending liability and interest charges during theperiod

[0400] The Event Management module supports the tracking of a variety ofevents such as supply orders, service orders, insurance claims,litigation proceedings and the like. The event types are user-definedand are defined in the System Configuration code tables.

[0401] The Supply Item form presents the detail of a supply item masterfile. Each item in the file contains the following fields: FieldDescription Part Number Part number Item Name Unique item name StatusUser defined status code table. (Set up in System Configuration.) ClassOur Cost The user's purchase cost Price The user's price to the customerNote Memo field for notes pertaining to the item

[0402] To add an item to the master list, use the last line of the list(the one with an * as the record selector) to enter the new information.An item can be deleted from the list as long as it is not used on anySupply Orders. To delete an item from the file, click on the recordselector of the desired record and press the Delete key.

[0403] The Supply Report button provides an alphabetical listing of allitems on file.

[0404] Supply Orders are orders of items to be sent to an ATM site orbusiness partner, and potentially billed to a customer. Supply Orderscontain an order header, followed by detail lines for each item onorder. The Supply Order form looks like this:

[0405] The supply order form is equipped with a Search Criteria box.This box allows the user to search by “ATM” or “Status”. When the userchooses an ATM from the drop-down menu or a type of status, all supplyorders meeting that criteria will be displayed. The “filtered” recordsthat met the criteria can be viewed by using the navigation buttonslocated at the bottom of the screen. The user can also return to thedefault view of all records by clicking the “Show All” button.

[0406] The Search Criteria box also has a feature that allows the userto view a report based on the criteria selected. By clicking the“Criteria Report”, a user can view and print a report of the currentlydisplayed records. For example, to print a report of all “Open” supplyorders, click “Open” from Status drop-down and then click “CriteriaReport”. If no criteria has been selected, the “Criteria Report” willdisplay all records currently in the system.

[0407] The following fields comprise the header information in theSupply Order: Field Description ATM Terminal ID Selection of the ATM forthis Supply Order ATM Location (Alternatively) Selection of the ATMLocation for this Supply Order ATM Address (Alternatively) Selection ofthe ATM Address for this Supply Order ATM Surcharge Displays theterminal's surcharge transaction amount. Bill To Partner ID Selection ofthe ID of the Partner to Bill for this Supply Order Bill To Partner(Alternatively) Selection of the Address Address of the Partner to Billfor this Supply Order Ship To Partner ID Selection of the ID of thePartner to Ship this Supply Order Ship To Partner (Alternatively)Selection of the Address Address of the Partner to Ship this SupplyOrder Status Selection from the user defined table Date Opened Date theSupply Order was opened Date Completed Date the Supply Order wascompleted Date Shipped Date the Supply Order was shipped Taken BySelection from the user name table Contact Name of contact for supplyorder Shipped By Selection from the user name table Shipping MethodSelection from the user defined table Carrier Selection from the userdefined table Payment Method Selection from the user defined table P.O.Number PO number for supply order Contact Phone Telephone number ofsupply order cont Mfg/Model Manufacturer/Model for terminal SubtotalAmount Total of the extended price (quantity times price) of all orderlines. System computation. Tax Tax amount - entered by user Shipping andShipping and handling cost - entered Handling Cost by user. Total OrderCost Total of the Subtotal amount, tax and shipping and handling.Computed by the system

[0408] Supply Order Detail Lines

[0409] The following fields comprise the order lines of a Supply Order:Field Description Line Number A line number to identify and sequence thedisplay of items on order Part Number Selection from the items by PartNumber Item Name Selection from the items available to sell QuantityQuantity of the item on this line to order Price The users price to thecustomer (the price cannot be changed on this form) Cost Quantity timeprice. [Computed by the System.]

[0410] To add a new order, click the add button located at the top ofthe form. A blank supply order form will be displayed. There are severaldrop down boxes located in the “ATM”, “Bill To” and “Ship To” sectionsof the form to assist the users in choosing appropriately. If noinformation is entered into the “Bill To” and “Ship To” sections of theform, the system will use the ATM's location once a terminal is chosen.[Note: the “Bill To” and “Ship To” sections of the form involvePartners. Therefore, for the default to work, the ATM terminal must alsobe listed as Partner.]

[0411] The header information should be filled in as completely aspossible. Note: if the “Bill To” the “Ship To” information is the same,the users may leave the “Ship To” blank. The users must complete the“header” part of the form prior to entering the details of the order inthe “Order Detail” section. Once the header information has beencompleted, the users can begin to enter the order details.

[0412] A Supply Order may contain as many order lines may as needed. Toadd a line to a Supply Order, type an entry on the next available lineat the end of the order. As the users enter information into the orderdetails section of the form, the system will calculate totals based onthe information that was entered into “Supply Items” (described earlierin this section.) To delete a line from an order, click the recordselector to the left of the desired line, then press the Delete key.

[0413] Once the order form has been completed, the order can be viewedand printed by pressing the “Print Supply Order” button located at thetop of the form. This will only print the order that is currently ondisplay. If the users need to print another order, the users must firstdisplay that order.

[0414] Supply orders cannot be deleted from the system. If the userswish to “remove” an order from the system, the order can be marked witha “void” status.

[0415] Event Management allows the opening of a ticket to track variousevents such as ownership changes, bank account changes, insuranceissues, installation steps, litigation matters and the like. The eventtypes to be tracked are user defined in the System Configuration.

[0416] The following fields comprise the header information of an Event:Field Description Event ID Unique system assigned number for this EvEvent Type Selection from the user defined table Status Selection fromthe user defined table Problem Type Selection from the user definedtable Date Opened Date the ticket for the Event was opened Opened ByUser that opened Event Crew Assigned Selection from the user name tableCustomer Selection from the user name table Service Rep (CSR) AssignedSchedule Date Date the event work is scheduled to start Date Closed Datethe ticket for the Event was closed Incident # Incident number assignedto Event P.O. Number P.O. number assigned to Event Estimated Estimatedcharge Charge Final Charge Final charge Work Done Selection from theuser defined table ATM The Event may or may not have an ATM Informationassociated with it. If an ATM is selected (Optional) for the Event,these fields provide information about the ATM. The ATM related fieldscannot be changed on this form. Partner The Event may or may not have aPartner Information associated with it. If a Partner is selected(Optional) for the Event, these fields provide information about thePartner. The Partner related fields cannot be changed on this form.Event Description of the purpose of this Event Description

[0417] The Event header information is followed by a series of notes.Any number of notes can be associated with an Event. The notes are keptby the system in reverse chronological order, with the most recent noteshowing at the top of the list. To add a new note, go to the end of listof notes and make an entry in the next available line.

[0418] There are restrictions on the editing of past Event notes. When auser tries to edit an older note, the system checks his or her securitylevel. If the user has a security level of 0 or 1, edits are allowed.All users with a security level that is greater than 1 are not allowedto change older event notes.

[0419] Notes Fields: Name Location Description Date Tab 8 The activitydate for the note (e.g., the date the ATM experienced problems) Type Tab8 The type or category of note Next Contact Tab 8 The date scheduled forthe next contact Added Tab 8 The date the note was added to the systemLast Change Tab 8 The date the note was last updated or changed By Tab 8The user who is logged into the system at the time the note is enteredNotes Tab 8 A description of the reason for the note

[0420] The zoom button is available in the note section of the EventsModule:

[0421] To use this feature, click anywhere inside the note to be viewedand then click the zoom button. The note will be opened in a separateform to provide the user with a better view:

[0422] Changes and updates to notes can be made in full view and willtake effect when the form is closed. All restrictions on the editing ofpast notes also apply to the full view of a note.

[0423] When an event type is designated as “Litigation Matter”, thesystem adds another section to the Event Management Form. This sectionis called “Damages Calculation”. It uses historic data and ATM relateddata to provide the user with a damage cost estimate. This section isonly visible when an event is a Litigation Matter:

[0424] Damages Fields: Name Description Yr/Mo Identifies the year andmonth. Txns The number of total transactions per month Vended The totalamount of withdrawals for the month Revenue The total revenue from allsources for the month Expenses The total expenses from all sources forthe month Profit The net profit contribution for the month Total ProfitThe total profit contribution from the contract start (Lifetime) to dateAverage Profit/ The average profit contribution per month Month ContractMonths The number of months remaining on the customer Remaining contractDamages The average profit contribution times the number Calculation ofmonths remaining on the contract

[0425] The print options for “Litigation” type events includes a featurethat when a Litigation event is displayed and the “Print Event” buttonis pressed, a prompt is displayed with the following print options:

[0426] Current Litigation Event: generates a litigation report for thecurrently displayed event

[0427] All Litigation Events By Number: generates a litigation reportfor all open litigation events and sorts the report by Event ID

[0428] All Litigation Events By Location: generates a litigation reportfor all open litigation events and sorts the report by Location

[0429] A “flag” has been added to the upper right side of the Eventform. If the current event is not a litigation event but the involvedATM has an open litigation, a red box with the word “Litigation” isdisplayed.

[0430] The system has two locations from which a new event may begenerated. The first is through the Event form. The second is throughthe “ATMs With No Transactions” form described later in this section).

[0431] To add a new order from the Event form, click the add buttonlocated at the top of the form. A blank event order form will bedisplayed. Default data of today's date and status of “Open” aredisplayed. These defaults may be changed as necessary.

[0432] There are several combo boxes located on the form to assist theusers in entering the data. The status, event type, CSR, and Crew boxesdraw information that has been set up in System Configuration while theATM and Partner related data is derived from the ATM and Partner screensrespectively. The event form should be filled in as completely aspossible.

[0433] The event description is meant to hold the main reason why theevent was generated. The notes section is a way of recording subsequentactions in response to that main event. Notes are entered on this formand displayed chronologically by the last note entered. The system isalso equipped with a “tickler” process. If a future date is entered intothe system under “Next Contact”, the system can display a reminder tothe user about that date.

[0434] New notes may be added to an existing event at any time. To add anew note, click anywhere in the notes section of the form. Use the notesscroll bar to scroll down to the and of the notes. Following the lastrecord, there is a blank note with an asterisk (*). A new note can berecorded in this blank area.

[0435] Deleting Notes: the system does not allow an existing note to bedeleted. Once the users leave the “note” area, the note is recorded andcannot be deleted.

[0436] When the users first enter the event forms, all events in thedatabase are listed. The event order form is equipped with a SearchCriteria box. This box allows the user to search by ATM, by Event ID, oruse an extended search form. When the user chooses an ATM or a Partner,all events relating to that ATM or Partner will be displayed. The“filtered” records that met the criteria can be viewed by using thenavigation buttons located at the bottom of the screen. The user canalso return to the default view of all records by clicking the “ShowAll” button.

[0437] The event form is also equipped with an extended searchcapability that is activated by pressing the binoculars button. When thebinoculars button is pressed, the following search criteria form isopened:

[0438] This form is set up so that more than one item may be used asselection criteria at any time. When more than one field is selected,the system will search for any events that match all the selectedcriteria. (e.g., if the first criteria selected is “Open” under “Status”and the second is “NY” under “State”, the system will find all eventsthat are open and related to an ATM located in New York.).

[0439] This form is also set up so that certain fields allow “SearchStrings”. “Search Strings” are searches that allow wildcard charactersin the search. (For a list of the wildcard characters, please refer toSection 2.5 of the manual).

[0440] To search using the Search Criteria form, choose the criteria bywhich the users would like the system to search by following theguidelines above. After the users have chosen the appropriate criteria,click the “Search” button. The system will close the Search Criteriaform and display the form from which the users launched the search. This“launch” form will only display the records that met the criteria of theusersr search. Use the navigation buttons at the bottom of the form tomove from record to record. The criteria of the search will be displayedin the “Criteria” field located at the top of the form. To cancel thesearch and once again display all records, click the “Show All”.

[0441] To print a report of the Search Criteria, choose the criteria forthe search described in detail previously). Once the criteria has beendisplayed, click the criteria report button and a report will begenerated based on the current criteria.

[0442] To reset the criteria on the search criteria form, click theReset button. All the fields on the form will return to blanks. Theusers may also cancel/close the search criteria form and no filter willbe applied.

[0443] An event may involve an ATM, a Partner or both. To “attach” orrelate an event to a particular ATM, choose the ATM from the TerminalID, Location or Address combo boxes on the event form.

[0444] An event may involve an ATM, a Partner or both. To “attach” orrelate an event to a particular Partner, choose the Partner from Partnercombo box on the event form.

[0445] There are certain restrictions involving a users ability to editevent notes. Any user can edit a note on the day the note was created.However, only users with a security level of 0 or 1 can edit notes fromprevious days.

[0446] To print the current event, make sure the event is the current,displayed record and press the “print event” button at the top of theform. The system will display a preview report of the event. The usermay then print the report.

[0447] To print an inactive report on a terminal, make sure an eventthat is related to the terminal is the current, displayed record andpress the “Inactive Report” button at the top of the form. The systemwill display a preview report of the event. The user may then print thereport.

[0448] The system has a feature that will assist the users inidentifying any problems that may exist with specific ATMs. This featureprovides the user with a list of terminals that were not included in animport file or were included but had zero withdrawals transactionslisted. To access this feature, press the “ATMs With No Txns” button onthe main menu. The users will be prompted to enter a range of dates forthe search and then the system will display the following form:

[0449] The following are several areas on this form that may be ofinterest to the user:

[0450] The most recent date with WD transactions on file and the mostrecent date with any transactions on file. The average number of WDtransactions on file for each terminal

[0451] If there are events already on file for the ATM (either ServiceOrder events or other). To view the details on events already on filefor the ATM, double-click on the “Yes”.

[0452] This form also offers the user the option to generate a newevent. To generate a new event from this screen, click on the buttonnext to the terminal under “Open New Event”. When this button is pressedthe system will open the Events module and set up a new event for theATM.

[0453] A user can call up the last note recorded for an ATM by clickingthe button under the “Last ATM Note” column.

[0454] A preferred embodiment of the invention implementing theforegoing and other features of the invention described herein iswritten with the front-end business logic and graphical user interfaceimplemented in the Microsoft Access database management system usingAccess queries, forms, reports and Visual Basic code, and the back-endintegrated relational database implemented in either Microsoft Access orMicrosoft SQL Server utilizing stored procedures. In order to takeadvantage of advanced client-server architectures where a portion of theapplication is installed once on the server, to allow connection toother database management systems such as SQL Server, and to enter themulti-user ASP Internet environment, the product may be re-written usinga different set of development tools. Both the in-house version and theInternet version can co-exist.

[0455] The above described system provides the following features toaddress the key problem areas in operating and managing ATMs and scripterminals:

[0456] It produces a comprehensive integrated relational database:

[0457] It develops a database of all key terminal data and relationshipsincluding: terminal configuration, location, vendor, model, cashcapacity, maintenance service, armored car service, owner, partner, andother user-defined parties.

[0458] It collects and retains an unlimited history of dailytransactions.

[0459] It makes this data useful by gathering and organizing it intostratifications by each terminal or by any grouping of the user'schoice.

[0460] It automates the input of all terminal transaction data:

[0461] Import utilities are available to automatically read and storedata from each transaction processor.

[0462] This automation dramatically reduces labor and transcriptionerrors.

[0463] Audit routines insure all data has been collected. Missing datais identified. Late arriving adjustments are easily entered.

[0464] It manages ATM cash from the “ATM View” by:

[0465] Monitoring terminal cash balances and withdrawal rates.

[0466] Predicting when cash will run out.

[0467] Managing cash orders and cash replenishment schedules.

[0468] Managing armored car orders and cash movement including cashin-transit, and cash returns.

[0469] It manages ATM cash from the “Cash Provider View” by:

[0470] Reconciling all cash orders, cash deliveries, and cash movementthrough multiple correspondent accounts.

[0471] Reconciling total daily withdrawals to processor settlementamounts.

[0472] Reporting on daily terminal cash positions in all locations.

[0473] Calculating interest charges based on defined formulas.

[0474] Reconciling daily balances to in-house ledgers and journals.

[0475] Organizing all cash transactions to any user-defined grouplevels.

[0476] It manages all partner relationships by:

[0477] Developing extensive information about each partner.

[0478] Cataloguing all terminal /partner contractual terms andconditions.

[0479] Calculating all monthly income and expense components.

[0480] Producing monthly statements for overall terminal performance andfor each partner's interests.

[0481] It provides a full reporting system that:

[0482] Provides extensive management visibility into revenue and costsof terminal operations.

[0483] Maintains an unlimited history of terminal balances, cash orders,cash replenishments, and transaction withdrawals.

[0484] Provides performance analysis of armored car services.

[0485] Provides charts and reports of daily cash activities to betterunderstand traffic patterns and profitability.

[0486] Ranks terminals by transaction rates, by transaction amounts andby profitability.

[0487] Produces accounting statements for all partners.

[0488] Produces reporting by any group of terminals (by branch,location, etc.).

[0489] A preferred embodiment of the invention runs on PCs usingWindows95 or higher. If a user's office PCs are networked, the databaseof the present invention is sharable from all PCs in the network.

[0490] Improving Cash Management Information Flow:

[0491] Much of the information exchange today among ISOs, cash suppliersand armored car companies is still in inefficient hard copy form. An ISOprepares a cash order for a group of ATMs and faxes it to the cashsupplier. The cash supplier then reenters the order in its own recordkeeping system, produces another form of the order, and faxes it to thearmored car company as delivery instructions. For each cash delivery,the armored car company faxes an account of delivery to both the cashsupplier and the ISO, who must manually enter it back into its ownrecord keeping systems. A companion product to the present inventionwill be developed to replace this hard copy information exchange. Thesoftware will be enhanced to export the cash order from the ISO andimport it into the cash supplier's database, to export the deliveryinstructions from the cash supplier and import them into the armored carcompany's database, and to export delivery results from the armored carcompany's database and import them into both the ISO's and cashsupplier's database.

[0492] Managing Delivery of Non-Cash Products from ATMs:

[0493] The products and services available from ATM and scrip terminalsmachines are expanding beyond cash and cash chits to include stamps,phone cards, tickets and coupons. The present invention currentlysupports such extended operations.

[0494] Managing Services of All Card-Based Self Service Kiosks:

[0495] Kiosks issue items of value, some for a customer cost and somefor free. Kiosks of all types are appearing in more and more locations.Any chargeable items issued by a kiosk can be supported in much the samemanner as ATM machines. Even kiosks that issue free items likely requirethe computation of various fees and expenses such as site fees,maintenance fees and advertising income. The terms and accounting moduleof the present invention is already engineered to address this emergingmarket.

[0496] Managing the Maintenance Function of ATMs and Kiosks:

[0497] All ATMs, scrip terminals and self-service kiosks have workingparts and need both regular and emergency maintenance. Maintenancecontracts and service calls are an expensive component of terminaloperations. A maintenance and work order system appears to be a neededadd-on component of the present invention. The present invention is wellsuited to support and assist a maintenance system because the presentinvention can already determine from the daily imported processortransaction files the number of jams, mis-feeds, over or shortdispenses, out-of-cash shutdowns, and the like occurring at a terminal,and alert the user of needed maintenance.

[0498] Managing “Real Time” Customer Support:

[0499] Operators of ATMs often receive inquiries and complaints fromcustomers who didn't get all their money, or have some other objection.In order to respond, the operators need to view the actual individualprocessor transaction records which contain completion codes, reversalcodes, denial codes, mis-feed information and other data. Since theprocessor transaction files are downloaded each day and accumulated byterminal into the system, these files are retained in an accessible formon the user's computer for analysis. A transaction viewer module may beused to give users rapid visibility to any transaction on a formattedscreen, so that the inquiry can be addressed while a customer is stillon the phone.

[0500] Managing Customer Disputes:

[0501] Even after viewing a questioned transaction and talking with thecustomer, the customer may still dispute the result. A “file” must beopened for the dispute, information recorded and perhaps a variety ofrecords researched and opinions or decisions reached. Temporary creditsare sometimes issued and must be finalized or reversed. A disputemanagement system can be developed as an additional integrated componentof the ATM management system.

[0502] Managing Interchange Fees:

[0503] Many banks issue credit or debit cards that may be used in ATMsworldwide subject to the cardholder paying the local ATM surcharge fee.In addition to the surcharge fee, the bank issuing the card is chargedan interchange fee by the bank owning the ATM at which the card wasused. At this time, banks appear to have no efficient means to analyzeinterchange fees so that they can determine, for example, which of theirown cards are costing them the most money or where they are being used(geographically or kinds of establishments). The design of the presentinvention can be extended to optionally keep transactions at thecardholder level in addition to the terminal level, allowing extensiveanalysis of individual cardholder habits and patterns. Interchange feesalso apply to scrip terminals. The additional module might open up awhole new market for card issuer cost control and user analysis.

[0504] The invention allows an opportunity to operate an ASP site thatprovides an Internet-based web-enabled version of The system, capturingATM transactions, cash orders, cash replenishments and the like once forall parties concerned with the ATM. This opportunity arises from thefact that several users of the product may need to capture and analyzethe same data. Consider the common example of an ISO renting its cashfrom a bank. Both the ISO and the bank are interested in the operationsof the ATM, the ISO for cash ordering and all income and expense items,and the bank because it must keep track of its own cash in the ATM. Theyboth download the same daily activity file from the processor, and theyboth track cash orders and replenishments. Additionally, experience hasproven that two separate databases attempting to keep track of the sameinformation seldom have exactly the same information.

[0505] An ASP site establishes one large scale database into which theprocessor transaction files, the cash ordering activities, the armoredcar replenishment activities, and all contractual terms and conditionswill be managed for the benefit of all interested parties. With propersecurity individual users will only see and/or update information forwhich they are authorized. This development also places the presentinvention in the position of being a “Third-Party Data Broker,” apotentially commanding position in this industry.

[0506] The ASP site has attractive to the smaller deployers of ATMs aswell as deployers who do not care to or cannot afford to acquire theirown in-house version of the software.

[0507] The ASP approach would have the benefit of reducing businesscosts for all parties involved, and still improve data timeliness andaccuracy. Further, and most importantly, in this line of business thepresent invention involves custody of a potentially massive databasethat can be sanitized and sold as marketing research data to anunlimited number of customers, as well as be the base of apremium-priced consulting service.

[0508] Selected features and benefits of the most recent release:Feature Benefit Terminals and Transaction Activity Module: ATM fieldsAllows the definition of additional terminal types, merchant shareinformation and how to apply cash loads ATM Wizard Leads user throughthe addition of new ATMs, prompting for required and preferredinformation ATM bank account information Documents the bank accountnumbers used for withdrawal, surcharge and interchange depositsPrevention of closing terminals Ensures the integrity of certainconsolidated statements with cash balances Processor import file screenOnly the user's processor names appear, eliminating the streamlined fulllist of available processors previously displayed Processor file capturesummary Many users do not print the optional detailed processor reportnow printed import file capture report. A one page summary is nowprinted in all cases, documenting the totals of the capture process ATMGroup screen revised Easier access to group level information Terms andAccounting Module: Group level terms supported Dramatically reduces thenumber of terms lines required, as group level terms apply to allterminals in the group. Also, significantly reduces work to change termsIncome and expense allocations Both computed and manually enteredamounts can be supported allocated automatically by several differentmethods to all terminals in a group Table names verified when Eliminateschance of misspelling a table name. Also, a entered on terms lines hotkey is provided to view table information while working in the termsscreen Summary capability in terms lines Allows a single reference thatadds together the amounts of a set of terms lines, easing the ability topay based on the net total of several lines Catalog of reportdistribution New ability to catalog the reports sent to partners, cyclesincluding how and on what schedule they are sent. Further Partner fieldsAllows the definition of payment methods, bank account types, interestinformation, and new memo capabilities Further profit report for an ATMAllows the comparison of profit contributions among Group ATM groupsFurther ability to print statements Packages reports by partner group sothat a designated for all members of a Partner partner receives apackage of the reports for each Group individual partner in the groupCash Management Module: Ability to make changes to posted Avoids need tomake adjustments to posted orders via Cash Orders additional orders.Also, includes the ability to add and delete order lines to postedorders Ability to make changes to posted Allows changes to any fieldassociated with a posted Cash Loads (Replenishments) Cash Load. Also,includes the ability to delete a posted Cash Load, returning the load toa memo posted open order status. Assistance in building new Cash For allnew terminal cash order lines, the courier pickup Orders date and thefill date are now supplied, assisting in building the order Capabilitiesin computing the Cash loads may be treated as happening at begin of day,effect of cash loads mid day or end of day, by terminal if desired, tomore closely approximate the end of day cash balance in a terminal EventManagement Module: New Event fields Allows documentation of problem typeand work done, expanding the capabilities of analyzing event attributesOpen Insurance Indicator added Indicates when viewing an event for anyterminal, whether there is an insurance event open for the sameterminal. “24 hour” monitoring screen The ATMs with No Txns screeneliminates any ATMs from view that have an open litigation or insuranceevent, so that they do not mix with the monitoring function System-wideFeatures: Search boxes added to several Allows easier and quickerlookups of information screens Customization of report formats Abilityto toggle on or off any data column of four different reports that arefrequently sent to ISO, sub- ISOs, dealers, merchants and the like. Thereports can now contain only the information that the users want othersto see Ability to e-mail reports Ability to attach any system report toan e-mail and launch the e-mail client (e.g. MS Outlook) system-widemonthly close Allows a monthly close effect where no changes arecapability permitted to statistical or accounting figures prior to theclose date, protecting the integrity of numbers passed to other systems,such as general ledger and accounts payable Error Handling Managesseveral additional error conditions avoiding the need to cancel routinesor answer system level questions installation routine An installationwizard minimizes the work to add the ATM management system to additionalcomputers Small, fast client program Fast execution speed andelimination of non-essential toolbars from screens

[0509] The initial display for the “ATM Groups” shows a single group,the terminals that are members of that group, and terms/allocationinformation associated with the group. There is a group selection combobox located on the top of the form for easy group navigation. A fulllist of groups can be viewed by choosing the “All Groups—Screen Report”option and clicking “Execute”.

[0510] Many users are unsure of what information is necessary whenadding a new terminal to the database. An ATM Setup wizard has beenadded to the ATM screen that leads the user through a complete set ofsetup screens for each ATM. Clicking the “Add” button on the ATMTerminals screen will launch this wizard:

[0511] This ATM wizard takes a user through a series of questions andon-screen instructions that assist in the setting up of a new terminal.All required fields are on the first panel of the Wizard.

[0512] Cash Settlement Tab on ATM Screen Revised:

[0513] The Cash Settlement tab on the ATM Screen includes two sections:

[0514] Top Section:

[0515] The purpose of this section is to store and track informationrelating to the bank accounts to which interchange fees, surcharge fees,and withdrawal amounts are deposited.

[0516] Bottom Section:

[0517] The bottom section of the screen identifies which (if any)Settlement Float table an ATM uses. Settlement Float tables identifywhen withdrawn cash and surcharge amounts settle back to the usersr bankaccounts. This display has been changed so that it now shows thesettlement day of the week for each daily processor transaction file.

[0518] The following fields also appear on the ATM screen:

[0519] Terminal Type (Located on the Main Screen)

[0520] This combo box provides the user with a way to categorizeterminals (e.g., ATM, POS, etc.) This is a user-defined table of values.The types of terminals available to the system can be set up in SystemConfiguration (Code Tables tab, “ATM Terminal Types” button).

[0521] Est Mrch Share (Located on the “Information” Tab)

[0522] An estimated merchant share of the surcharge.

[0523] Apply Load (Located on the “Replnsmnt” Tab)

[0524] How cash loads should be treated by the system: BOD (beginning ofday), EOD (end of day), or MID (middle of day). If this field is leftblank, the system-wide setting will be used (located in SystemConfiguration on the “Parameters” tab). If the System Configurationsetting is blank, the default is BOD. Prior to this release all cashloads were treated as happening at the beginning of the processor'ssettlement day. Note: the ATM setting takes precedence over the systemsetting. (For further details, please refer to the Cash Managementsection of this bulletin).

[0525] The system will not allow the status of an ATM to be changed to“Closed” if the ATM has a cash balance on file. Only ATMs with a zerocash balance in the ATM cash field can be designated as “Closed”.Additional status codes such as “Pending” or “Closed Pending” can beused until the balance has been removed from the terminal. This newfeature keeps ATMs from being closed and disappearing from certain formsand reports, when they still have cash in them. Note: An ATM can beclosed if it has a zero ATM cash balance, but still has an accumulatedover or short condition resulting in a non-zero remaining cashliability.

[0526] The navigation on the ATM Daily Transaction Statistics and ATMMonthly Transactions Totals screens have been improved. Combo boxselections are now available to allow easier access to terminalinformation.

[0527] Re the “Import” screen. A Combo box selection has replaced theradio buttons that list the system's import types. In addition, thesystem has been updated so that it will print import capture and importposting errors. The error report will print even if the reportingoptions for these two reports have been turned off. In addition, atotals line for transaction counts and amounts will always be printedfor each file captured, so that the totals can be retained, referenced,and compared to any processor reports provided.

[0528] Under the structure of the system's terms and accounting, inaddition to defining terms at the individual ATM level, terms can now bedefined at the ATM Group level, and all ATMs in the group will inheritthose terms lines. This feature dramatically reduces the number of termslines required in many instances, and additionally reduces the time andeffort to change terms lines.

[0529] Terms can now be defined in one of four separate categories:

[0530] ATM Specific Terms:

[0531] ATM Specific Terms are terms set up for an individual ATM on theATM Terms screen.

[0532] The ATM Terms screen has three tabs. The first tab displays eachATM's specific terms and any (new) group level terms (noted with a “G”).This tab is for display purposes only and cannot be edited. The secondtab shows all the ATM Specific terms that have been set up for theterminal. This is the tab where ATM Specific terms can be added oredited. The final tab displays all the ATM's new group related terms.The third tab cannot be edited. However, the group terms definitionsection can be accessed by double-clicking on the appropriate group nameon the tab.

[0533] The navigation on the ATM Terms screen has a combo box selectionto allow easier access to terminal information.

[0534] Group Level Terms:

[0535] Group Terms are terms lines set up using ATM Groups, and apply toeach ATM in the group in the same manner as if they were set up at theindividual ATM level for each ATM in the group. The “Group Terms” tab islocated on ATM Groups form (accessed through the main menu).

[0536] New group level terms can be added directly to this tab. Asexisting group terms are edited and new lines added for a group, thechange is immediately applied to all terminals within the group. Inaddition, as new terminals are added to existing groups, all the linesthat have been set up for that group automatically become part of thenew ATM's terms.

[0537] Group Terms function in the same way as ATM Specific Terms. Theyhave the same data requirements (e.g., unique line numbers, requiredfields, etc.). The system simply takes the term line and applies it toall ATMs in the group. For example, suppose a computed line, L100+L110,is set up at the group level. Each ATM in the group will have anaccounting display that includes a sum of that ATM's line 100 and line110 for each applicable month.

[0538] Group Terms are added immediately to each ATM in a group.However, monthly accounting is not automatically generated. Like ATMSpecific Terms, Group Terms require a computation process. This can bedone for all levels of terms and groups by clicking the “Recompute AllMonthly Accounting” button on the Calculations menu. To see accountingresults on individual ATMs in a group, the “Show Acctng” button on anATM's Terms screen or the “Recalc Acctng” on an ATM's Accounting screencan be pressed.

[0539] Group Allocation Terms:

[0540] Group Allocation Terms are group terms where a total is generatedfor the ATMs in the group, and then distributed back to the ATMs in thegroup based on a selected allocation method. The allocation methodscurrently supported by the system are as follows: a) total withdrawal,interchange or surcharge amounts, b) volume of several types oftransactions, or c) even distribution of an amount to all ATMs in thegroup.

[0541] Group Allocation Terms are set up in the same way as other groupterms. A Group Allocation Term is defined when an allocation method ischosen for that term from the combo box under the “Allocation Method”column:

[0542] Group Allocation Terms are different from Simple Group Terms.Terms involving allocations calculate a total for the ATMs in the group,and then distribute that total back to each ATM on a selected pro-ratabasis.

[0543] Group Allocation Terms can be set up in the same way as ATMSpecific Terms and Simple Group Terms. The only exception is that agroup total cannot be generated for a Base Type of “Comptd” or “Prime”.For example, suppose a distributor is paid based on the totaltransactions for a group of ATMs each month, rather than thetransactions of each ATM individually. This computation requires the ATMmanagement system to add up the total transactions for a group or ATMs,and generate an expense amount that is dependent on cost brackets fordifferent volumes in a table. Once the expense amount is generated, theamount needs to be distributed back to each ATM in the group based ontheir pro-rata share of the transactions. A terms line to handle thissituation, would be developed as follows:

[0544] Step 1: Create a table that matches the volume needs of thecontract for total transactions e.g.: High Low Limit Limit Value 1 200000.50 20001 40000 0.60 40001 80000 0.70 80001 99999 0.80

[0545] Step 2: Add a group level terms line (e.g., line number, expensevs. income, partner name, minimum amount, etc.). In this instance, Basewould be “Tt1Txn”, Frequency would be “Table”, Equation would be thename of the group table created in Step 1 and the allocation methodwould be “Tt1Txn”.

[0546] Group Allocation Terms are added immediately to each ATM in agroup. However, monthly accounting is not automatically generated. LikeATM Specific Terms and Simple Group Terms, Group Allocation Termsrequire a computation. (Re)calculations for all terms at all levels isdone by clicking the “Recompute All Monthly Accounting” button on theCalculations menu. To perform the calculation for an individual group,click the “Calculate and Distribute Allocation” button located on the“Group Terms” tab.

[0547] The “Group Allocations” tab shows the detail of how a totalcharge was distributed back to each ATM in the group. The tab displaysthe total amount computed in the terms line for each month:

[0548] To view a breakdown of how a month's Computed Amount wasdistributed among the ATMs in the group, double-click on the group termsline. The following pop-up screen will be displayed showing each ATM inthe group and its dollar and percentage share of the total amount:

[0549] Allocation Terms—Manual Entries:

[0550] Group Allocation Terms—Manual Entries are group allocations wherean amount is entered by the user for a month and then distributed by thesystem to all ATMs in the group. As an example, a manual entry isrequired when a bill is received that must be allocated in some fashionto each ATM in a group. Manual Entries are setup like other group terms.The only difference is that “Manual” is selected as a Base and text suchas “To Be Determined” is entered in the Equation field. When monthlyaccounting calculations for Group Allocation Terms are computed(described above), the system generates a zero amount for manual termsfor each applicable month's accounting statement:

[0551] This acts as a placeholder for the actual amount. The amount canbe entered by the user at the group level, and subsequently distributedto the ATMs in the group. When a manual amount has been entered, it canbe distributed to all the ATMs in the system by clicking the “DistributeManual Entries” button located on the Group Allocations tab. [Note:entered manual amounts are also distributed/re-distributed to ATMsthrough the Group Allocation Terms monthly calculations as describedabove.]

[0552] Since the proper application of group terms is dependent on ATMGroups, it is important to keep the ATMs in the groups up-to-date. ATMsshould not be deleted from groups. Instead, start and end dates shouldbe used to manage a terminal's participation in a group. Note that thestart and end date of an ATM's participation in a group is in additionto the start and end date of the terms line itself. Both come into playin determining if and when to apply a group term line to a particularATM.

[0553] As a user adds or edits a terms line, the line is checked toverify it meets certain criteria (i.e., unique line number). A new checkis added to this validation. When a table is used in a terms line, thesystem now verifies that the table exists. A hot key combination(Control/R) allows immediate lookup of table names for use in theselines.

[0554] By placing a colon between two line number references in theterms line equation column (e.g., L3:L10), the System will add up thevalues for all the line numbers between the colon references. Forexample, L2:L5 will result in L2+L3+L4+L5. Any line numbers that do notexist or are not active will be ignored.

[0555] A “Statement” tab on the Partner Screen can be used to assist theuser in documenting the system reports/statements that are sent to thePartner, including the frequency and method by which they are sent. Inthis release, this information is for documentation purposes only, toknow from one month to the next which reports the users have decided tosend to individual partners. However, it forms the base on which moreautomatic report producing services will be provided in the future.

[0556] The following fields have been added to the Partner screen:

[0557] Payment Method (Located on the “Information” Tab)

[0558] This combo box provides the user with a way to designate whetherthe Partner uses an ACH or check payment method.

[0559] Bank Account Type (Located on the “Bank Accounts” Tab)

[0560] This combo box provides the user with a way to designate the typeof bank account (e.g., DDA account).

[0561] Compute Interest (Located on the “Bank Accounts” Tab)

[0562] This check box provides the user with a way to designate if theaccount is in an interest bearing account.

[0563] Interest Rate from Prime (Located on the “Bank Accounts” Tab)

[0564] This field provides the user with a way to designate the interestrate for the account.

[0565] Partner Memo (Located on the “Notes” Tab)

[0566] Similar to the ATM memo field, this Partner new memo fieldappears on certain forms and reports a sort of constant visible note. Itis used to indicate important information such as the hours of operationof the merchant store.

[0567] Copying of Terms Lines Revised:

[0568] The procedure that copies terms lines from another ATM includesany copied line numbers that already exist in the target ATM, but dropstheir line numbers. The user can fill in these line numbers after thecopying is complete, or delete the lines, whichever is appropriate.Note: Terms lines must have unique line numbers or the system will notcompute monthly accounting accurately.

[0569] The navigation on the ATM Accounting screen has a drop-down menue to allow easier access to terminal information.

[0570] The Table screen includes an “Add” button.

[0571] Cash Order Needs Form and Report Now Available by ATM Group:

[0572] The Cash Order Needs screen and report prompt for a group name,so that only those non-closed ATMs for which the Monitor Cash check boxis checked will be displayed. This allows easier replenishment needsanalysis for an individual group of ATMs. The full list of ATMs canstill be displayed by leaving the group name blank when prompted.

[0573] Another feature in the ATM management system is the ability toedit both the main and detail sections of posted Cash Orders. There isnow an edit button located in both sections that will start the editfeature:

[0574] Editing the Detail Line of a Cash Order:

[0575] To edit the detail line of a cash order, click the edit buttonlocated on the line. The following screen will be displayed:

[0576] Any changes to the detail line can be made directly to thisscreen. Once all changes have been made, click the “Save Changes”button. The system will analyze the changes. If any errors areencountered (e.g., amount ordered does not match number of bills), thesystem will report the error and the changes will not be saved. If noerrors are found the changes are saved to the order. Note: If the amountordered has changed, the system will automatically adjust the totalamount of the order.

[0577] To remove a terminal from a cash order, click the “Delete”button. A message will be displayed asking for confirmation. If “Yes” isselected, the terminal will be deleted and the total of the orderupdated. If “No” is selected, the terminal is not deleted.

[0578] To leave form without saving changes, click the “Cancel” button.The form will close and no changes will be saved.

[0579] Editing the Main Section of a Cash Order:

[0580] To edit the main information of a cash order, click the editbutton located in the top section of the cash order screen. Thefollowing screen will be displayed:

[0581] Changes to a Cash Order can be made directly to this screen, withthe exception of fields with a gray background. Once all changes havebeen made, click the “Save Changes” button. The system will analyze thechanges. If any errors are encountered, the system will report the errorand the changes will not be saved. If no errors are found the changesare saved to the order. Note: The total amount of an order cannot bechanged on this screen. However, the amount will be adjusted by thesystem if changes are made to the amount of an order detail line, or ifdetail lines are added or deleted.

[0582] To leave form without saving changes, click the “Cancel” button.The form will close and no changes will be saved.

[0583] Estimate of Need Date/Pickup Date Now Placed on Cash Order DetailLine:

[0584] When a terminal is selected for a cash order, the system fills ina series of defaults (e.g., amount ordered, number of bills, etc.). Anestimated Need (or Fill) Date and Pickup Date are provided for thedefaults that will be supplied.

[0585] Feature Allowing Changes to Cash Loads has been Expanded:

[0586] Cash loads can be changed on the Cash Loads By ATM screen(accessed from the Cash Loads Screen). Changing a cash load now is donein a way that is similar to changing a cash order. The Cash Loads By ATMscreen has an Edit button.

[0587] Changes to a Cash Load can be made directly to this screen, withthe exception of fields with a gray background. Once all changes havebeen made, click the “Save Changes” button. The system will analyze thechanges. If any errors are encountered, the system will report the errorand the changes will not be saved. If no errors are found the changesare saved to the order.

[0588] To leave form without saving changes, click the “Cancel” button.The form will close and no changes will be saved.

[0589] To delete a cash load, click the “Delete” button. A message willbe displayed asking for confirmation. If “Yes” is selected, the cashload will be deleted and the status of the load returned to pendingstatus (it is then again considered an open, pending order for the ATM).If “No” is selected, the cash load is not deleted.

[0590] When posting a cash load, the system will check if the load dateis within (plus or minus) three days of the need date. If the date isoutside of this time frame, a warning message is displayed, with theoption to return to the form and correct the date before posting i

[0591] It is possible to view the Partner Details for a Cash Account.When the Partner Name field is double-clicked, the system opens thePartner screen and displays the information for the Partner to which theaccount is related.

[0592] A cash load can be set by the user to be applied at the beginningof the processor settlement day, the middle of the processor settlementday, or the end of the processor settlement day. This feature affectsthe estimated cash balance used for cash forecasting purposes:

[0593] Beginning of Day (BOD): this feature applies all withdrawals fora processor settlement day as happening after any loads for that sameday. This results in the lowest or “safest” estimated cash balance forthe ATM.

[0594] End of Day (EOD): some processors offer the option of pushing alltransactions after a load to the next day's settlement file. If theusersr processor does this, selection of EOD will allow a solidreconciliation in the ATM Management system reports with the processorreports.

[0595] Middle of Day (MID): the MID value assumes the load happened inthe middle of the processor's business day and may be the best overall,system-wide choice for most users.

[0596] How a cash load is applied can be set on a system level orindividual ATM level.

[0597] If the cash loads are applied in the same way for all or amajority of the ATMs, the system setting can be used. The system settingcan be accessed through the “Parameters” tab in System Configuration.The “When to Apply Cash Load” combo box can be set to BOD beginning ofday), MID (middle of day) or EOD (end of day). The system level settingwill be applied to all ATMs that have no individual setting.

[0598] If cash loads need to be applied uniquely for certain ATMs, theindividual ATM setting can be used. The individual setting is located inthe ATM Terminals screen on the “Replnsmnt” tab (“Apply Load”). TheATM's individual setting takes precedence over any system settings.(e.g., if the system is set to BOD and Terminal “Sample” is set to EOD,cash loads will be applied at the beginning of day for all ATMs exceptfor “Sample.” All cash loads for “Sample” will be applied at the end ofthe day.

[0599] Events Module

[0600] Event Management Tracking Improved:

[0601] Event Management has been expanded to include two new fields:Problem Type and Work Done. These are user-defined fields that can beused to categorize problems and work done. Both of these fields can beset up through System Configuration on the “Code Tables” tab.

[0602] “Open Insurance” Indicator Added to Events:

[0603] A “flag” is provided on the the Event form. If the current eventis not an insurance event but the involved ATM has an open insuranceevent, a red box with the word “Open Insurance Event” is displayed.

[0604] ATMs with No Transactions Report Revised:

[0605] The screen report “ATM's With No Transactions Reported” does notinclude any terminals that already have open insurance or litigationevents.

[0606] System Configuration

[0607] An “Accounting Cutoff Date” Feature has been Added to System:

[0608] It is possible to freeze or perform a close operation on priormonths in the ATM management system. When used, this feature will notallow any recalculations, data entry or any other data revisions priorto a date set by the user. In this manner, statistics and amountspublished in reports or passed to other accounting systems will not beallowed to change, and any attempt to add or change data to the systemthat would cause such a change will be refused. Any necessaryadjustments can then be made in the current period.

[0609] The cutoff date is set in System Configuration on the Parameterstab. Any changes in the following areas will be checked to be sure theyhave no effect prior to the Accounting Cutoff Date:

[0610] Daily Import Transactions additions, deletions and changes

[0611] ATM Terms additions, deletions and changes

[0612] ATM Groups additions, deletions and changes

[0613] ATM Group Terms additions, deletions and changes

[0614] Cash Settlement Table additions, deletions and changes

[0615] Settlement Float Table additions, deletions and changes

[0616] Cash Order additions, deletions and changes

[0617] Cash Load additions, deletions and changes

[0618] Cash Transfer additions, deletions and changes

[0619] It is possible to customize four different printed reports thatcontain columns of statistical and income amount data, so that they onlydisplay the information that the users want. The four reports are the:

[0620] ATM Daily Transaction Detail Report,

[0621] ATM Daily Activity Summary,

[0622] Partner ATM Txn Activity Statement, and the

[0623] Partner ATM Monthly Statement.

[0624] These four reports are commonly sent to others such as investors,ISOs, sub-ISOs, distributors, dealers, and merchants. In this release,additional columns of data have been added to these reports, and theability to toggle on and off any of the columns the users wish. A newtab has been added to the system configuration screen to select whichcolumns of data are to be contained in each report when it is printed.Using the check boxes provided, the users may customize each report toappear the way the users want when it is printed.

[0625] The look of the Import Directories Screen provides the user withthe code (placed in the Imp/Export ID/XID field of the Partner screen)for each processor.

[0626] The ATM Monthly Profit Comparison Report has been expanded toinclude the profit contribution for each of the last three months, inaddition to the average of all months on file.

[0627] The partner accounting reports that are available at theindividual partner level are available at the partner group level aswell. Selecting one of the reports at the partner group level will printthe report for each member of the partner group, eliminating the need toselect each of the partners individually and print the report. This“package” of reports may be sent as a whole to one location (e.g. asub-ISO to provide information about each of its sites), or this featuremay be used as an easy method of printing reports for each member of thegroup and each report sent separately to the member locations.

[0628] The “ATM Monthly Profit Comparison by Group” report lists theaverage profit per month alphabetically by group including a count ofATMs for each group. The report is time sensitive to when an ATM startsand ends participating in a group.

[0629] It is to be understood that the above-described embodiments aresimply illustrative of the principles of the invention. Various andother modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the artwhich will embody the principles of the invention and fall within thespirit and scope thereof.

[0630] Appendix A

[0631] The general fields of FIG. 3 are as follows: Name DescriptionTerminal ID User's ID for this terminal. Appears in many screens andreports to identify the terminal. Important: see illegal character list.Location (Name) Name of location or site where ATM is installed Type Thetypes of terminals available to the system. Type can be set up in SystemConfiguration (Code Tables tab, “ATM Terminal Types” button). Status ATMstatus (Code Tables tab, “ATM Status Codes” button)

[0632] The general fields of FIG. 4 are: Name Description ATM AddressStreet address line 1 of terminal Line 1 ATM Address Street address line2 of terminal Line 2 ATM City City of terminal ATM State State ofterminal ATM Zip Zip code of terminal Country Country of terminal ATMPhone ATM phone number Contact Name of contact for this terminal (e.g.owner or merchant) Contact Phone Contact phone number Contact FaxContact FAX number E-mail Contact e-mail address Owner Owner of the ATMImport/Export ID Cross-reference ID for Importing/Exporting Data Max WDThe maximum withdrawal amount allowed. Terms Base Are the accountingterms to be computed (settled) based on the “Counts On file” for the ATMor the “Processor Claim” amounts provided at period end? Surcharge Theamount charged per surcharge transaction. Sales Rep Name of salesrepresentative Est Mrch Share An estimated merchant share of thesurcharge. Note: the amount entered in this field has no affect on termslines involving surcharge amounts. Installer Name of person or companythat installed ATM. Mrch Guarantee An amount guaranteed to merchant.Internal Term ID The systems internal number for tracking terminal. Thisnumber is assigned by system and cannot be changed. Cust Contrct StartThe contract start date for Terminal Cust Contrct End The contract enddate for Terminal Arrangement ATM deal or type of arrangement made withPartner. Date Installed Date the ATM was installed at the user site DateDe-Installed Date the ATM was de-installed at the user site ProcessorNetwork processor that records the clearance and settlement ATM activityProcessor ID by which the Processor identifies Terminal ID the ATM. Maybe different from above Terminal ID. Used to match records in processordownload files. Cutoff Time Terminal settlement time Serial NumberTerminal serial number Manufacturer Terminal vendor/manufacturer (fromuser defined code table) Model Terminal model (from user defined codetable) Dispenser Terminal dispenser type (from user defined code table)Free Paper A check indicates that the ATM currently gets paper for nocharge

[0633] The fields of FIG. 5A are: Name Description Monitor Cash? Checkthis box if the users manage cash for this Cash Responsibility ATM.Partner responsible for managing cash. Cash Rented From Partner fromwhom cash is rented. Cash Rented Cash account used for terminal. AccountArmored Car Armored car service that replenishes ATM Cash Return Cashaccount used for returns. Account Add or Swap Is replenishment a CashAdd or Swap? Cash Low Limit Minimum amount of cash to keep in ATM, ifnot zero GL Cost Center General Ledger system cost account for costsassociated with this ATM Propose Order Using Base default order amounton “Standard” or “Computed” figures. Standard Load Standard cashreplenishment amount in dollars Amount Number of 5s Number of $5 dollarbills in standard replenishment Number of 10s Number of $10 dollar billsin standard replenishment Number of 20s Number of $20 dollar bills instandard replenishment Number of 50s Number of $50 dollar bills instandard replenishment Number of 100s Number of $100 dollar bills instandard replenishment Order Lead Time Lead time in days between placingorder and replenishment date Days to Order to Number of daysreplenishment should cover Cover Days to Pad Order Number of extra daysthat should be included in cash order

[0634] The fields of FIG. 5B are: Name Description Settlement Type Cash,Surcharge, Interchange Settlement Account to which settlement typeAccount Name will be applied Bank Name Name of Bank Owning This AccountStart Date Beginning effective date of settlement delay table for thisATM. (Note: if this field is left blank, the settlement start date willdefault to the first day of transactions.) End Date Ending effectivedate of settlement delay table for this ATM. (Note: if field is leftblank, the settlement table will be in effect until an end date isentered.) Settlement Float Name of settlement delay table used TableName for this ATM Start Date Date to start ATM in Group End Date Lastdate ATM is in Group Sun Mon Tue When settlement will be applied for WedThurs Fri a given day Sat

[0635] The Fields of FIG. 5C are as follows: Name Description ArmoredCar Armored car service that replenishes ATM Replenishment Desiredreplenishment cycle in effect Cycle for ATM from Arm Car Service (Daily,Weekly, Biweekly, Monthly) Replenishment Cycle Segment, e.g. “A” week or“B” Segment week for Biweekly Cycle. This is an optional setting for aMonthly Replenishment cycle. Replenishment The days of the week that thearmored Days service will replenish this ATM without extra charges, orthat the users wish to plan replenishments. Regular Run The cost for aregular armored car delivery Special Run The cost for a special armoredcar delivery Apply Load How cash loads should be treated by the system:BOD (beginning of day), EOD (end of day), or MID (middle of day). Ifthis field is left blank, the system-wide setting will be used (locatedin System Configuration on the “Parameters” tab). If the SystemConfiguration setting is blank, the default is BOD. Note: the ATMsetting takes precedence over the system setting.

[0636] The fields of FIG. 5D are: Name Description Date Shipped Date theATM was shipped form the manufacturer. Comes from the Master SerialNumber record if ATM serial numbers are pre-registered. WarrantyCoverage Manufacturer warranty coverage. Comes from the Master SerialNumber record if ATM serial numbers are pre- registered. Warranty StartDate Date manufacturer warranty starts. Comes from the Master SerialNumber record if ATM serial numbers are pre- registered. Warranty EndDate Date manufacturer warranty ends. Comes from the Master SerialNumber record if ATM serial numbers are pre- registered. Warranty CostManufacturer warranty cost, if any, including extensions. Comes from theMaster Serial Number record if ATM serial numbers are pre-registered.Date Installed Date the ATM was installed at the user site DateDe-Installed Date the ATM was de-installed at the user site CustomerWarranty Warranty coverage plan given/sold to Coverage the customerCustomer Warranty Date customer warranty starts Start Date CustomerWarranty Date customer warranty ends End Date Customer Warranty Customerwarranty cost, if any, Cost including extensions

[0637] The fields of FIG. 5E are: Name Description Group List of Groupsin which this ATM Name participates. Used for various analysis andreporting purposes. Description Description of the Group Start Date DateATM begins participation in the group. (Note: if no date is entered, theATM is considered an active member of the group for as long as the groupis active.) End Date Date ATM ends participation in the group. (Note: ifno date is entered, the ATM remains a member of the group until an enddate is entered.)

[0638] The fields of FIG. 5F are: Name Description Numeric Field willhold any numeric value Currency Field will hold any currency value TextField will hold any text value Date Field will hold any date value CheckBox Field will hold any yes/no value

[0639] The fields of FIG. 5G are: Name Description Memo The purpose ofthis field is to hold information on a machine that will appear in otherareas of the system, (e.g., a memo could notify a user that the storewhere the ATM is located is closed on Sundays). Date The activity datefor the note (e.g., the date the ATM experienced problems) Type The typeor category of note Next Contact The date scheduled for the next contactAdded The date the note was added to the system Last Change The date thenote was last updated or changed By The user who entered the note NotesA description of the reason for the note

[0640] The following table lists some of the screen reports availablefrom data captured in the Terminals and Txn Activity. They can belocated as follows: Screen Report Form (Location) Purpose and NotesWeekly ATM Form and Graphically compares the number Withdrawal ScreenReports: of withdrawal transactions and Statistics Weekly amounts forthe last 8 weeks Chart Withdrawal Statistics Charts Monthly ATM Form andGraphically compares the number Withdrawal Screen Reports: of withdrawaltransactions and Statistics Monthly amounts for the last 9 months ChartWithdrawal Statistics Charts Monthly ATM Screen Reports: Displaysseveral statistical Statistical Monthly ATM calculations per month,ranking Comparisons Statistical terminals from the highest rate toComparisons the lowest Check For Audit Checks: Displays a list ofmissing daily Missing Missing ATM Day records that should beinvestigated. Daily Records A daily record should be on file for Recordsall dates on which the processor issues a report. Zero Txn Audit Checks:Displays a list of daily records for Counts ATMs With No which thewithdrawal amount is Transactions zero. Helpful in determining ifReported ATMs are out of cash or have a maintenance problem. Day of WeekScreen Reports: Displays a list of the average Charts Daily Withdrawalwithdrawal amounts by the day of Statistics Chart week. Custom ScreenReports: Allows the user to generate custom Listings ATM Custom ATMlists. Listing ATM Audit Checks: Compares the surcharge amount SurchargeATM Surcharge listed on the ATM screen with the Variances Variancesaverage surcharge amount from the processor files. (Note: if nosurcharge has been entered on the ATM screen for a terminal, nocomparison is made.)

[0641] The following table lists the printed reports available based onthe data in the Terminals and Txn Activity. Here's how to produce them:Report Form Purpose and Notes ATM Master List-All Printed Reports: Alldata for each ATM Data ATM Master List ATM Listing by Printed Reports:Short form. One line of data for Terminal ATM Listing by each ATM.Ordered by Terminal. Terminal ATM Listing by Printed Reports: Shortform. One line of data for Location ATM Listing by each ATM. Ordered byLocation. Location Monthly ATM Printed Reports: ATM's ranked by averageW'drawal Txn Rate ATM WD Txn monthly volume of withdrawal ComparisonRate Comparison transactions over the last six months Monthly ATMPrinted Reports: ATM's ranked by average Withdrawal Amount ATM WD Amtmonthly volume of withdrawal Comparison Comparison amounts over the lastsix months ATM Groups Printed Reports: ATM's located in a selected groupATM Groups Daily Txn Detail with Printed Reports: Lists daily activitycounts for an Charts ATM Group ATM for a month, with charts of DailyActivity withdrawal activity and Summary withdrawal amounts and ATMForm: Daily Activity Report Cash Settlement Printed Reports: Report thatcan provide transaction Report Cash Settlement Report information byprocessor or group. Daily Transaction Daily Transaction Statistics: OneLists daily activity counts for an Detail Month Report ATM for one monthDaily Transaction Daily Transaction Lists a column for each month onfile, History Report Statistics: Full History showing the totalwithdrawal transactions Report and amounts for each day MonthlyTransaction Monthly Statistics: Lists the two sets of monthly activityand Summary Monthly 12 Mo Report dollar counts: one for the accumulationof daily counts on file, and one for the processor reported counts forthe same period Average Withdrawal Screen Reports: ATM's ranked bymonthly withdrawal Txns Monthly ATM Statistical transaction rates.(Double-click on “Avg Comparisons WD Txns” label and click “PrintPreview” for report.) Average Withdrawal Screen Reports: ATM's ranked bymonthly withdrawal Amount Monthly ATM Statistical amounts. (Double-clickon “Avg WD Comparisons Amt” label and click “Print Preview” for report.)Average Surcharge Screen Reports: Monthly ATM's ranked by monthlysurcharge Txns ATM Statistical transactions. (Double-click on “AvgComparisons Srchg Txns” label and click “Print Preview” for report.)Average Surcharge Screen Reports: ATM's ranked by monthly surchargeAmount Monthly ATM Statistical amount. (Double-click on “Avg SrchgComparisons Amt” label and click “Print Preview” for report.) PercentageScreen Reports: ATM's ranked by monthly percent of Transactions MonthlyATM Statistical txns surcharged. (Double-click on “% SurchargedComparisons Txns Srchgd” label and click “Print Preview” for report.)Missing ATM Day Audit Checks: Missing Prints a list of missing calendarday Records ATM Records: Preview records that should be investigated. AReport calendar day should be on file for every day that the terminalmight have activity of any sort Missing ATM Daily Audit Checks: MissingPrints a list of ATM days for which there Settlement Records ATM DailySettlement are no activity records. Helpful in Records: Preview Reportdetermining if ATMs are out of cash or have a maintenance problem. ATMsWith No ATMs With No Prints a list of ATM activity records forTransactions Transactions which there are no transactions of any type.Helpful in determining if ATMs are out of cash or have a maintenanceproblem. Processor Daily File System Report produced by each ProcessorImport Utility Capture Reports Configuration: showing the recordscaptured for posting into the Parameters tab database. This reportprints during the initial import of a file into the system. The optionto set this report is located in system configuration. Edit File PostingImport New Report produced by the Edit File Report Data: Print Postingroutine showing the result Import Edit File - of attempting to post eachrecord and -System into the database. This is an Configuration: optionalreport. The print option Parameters tab can be set in SystemConfiguration. Rolling 12 Month ATM Monthly Prints a report of the past12 Report Statistics: months transaction totals and Rolling 12 Moamounts by month with charts for Report the selected ATM ATM Groups ATMGroups Lists all ATM Groups, their start and Members and end date in thegroup, and Display and each ATM's transaction processor Printed Reportsand processor terminal ID Menu

1. An ATM management system for enabling efficient operationscomprising, in combination, (a) means for parsing the ATM businesstransactions and management into an array of separate data-carryingentities including ATM terminals and other types of terminal devicesincluding POS devices and kiosks, the terminals, proprietor(s),providers of cash or other value to be dispensed via ATM terminals,transport and replenish service providers, and also the terminals per seand transactions and events of related respective business surroundingthe system, (b) means associated with each of selected persons orentities or groups of them and the ATMs for providing separate activitydata files of each, (c) means establishing contract terms or otherprotocols inter-relating each of said persons or entities with the ATMsand transactions and activities, (d) means for controlling all allowablecustomer transactions and events of each ATM and terminal back upservice transactions and events by the terms or other protocol, thesystem as a whole operating in parallel with but not dependent on theselection of bank records or other customer-institution relationship,the system acting in response to financial transaction authorizationsand rejections.
 2. The system of claim 1 configured for cash dispensing.3. The system of claim 2 including means for generation of cash ordersand replenishments for such terminals.
 4. The system of claim 1including means for generating a database of terminal events as needsand fulfillment.
 5. The system of claim 1 including means for groupingATMs and persons/entities as new pseudo entities incorporated in thedatabase.
 6. An ATM management system for enabling efficient operationscomprising, in combination, (a) means for parsing the ATM businesstransactions and management into an array of separate data-carryingentities including terminal devices, proprietor(s), providers of cash orother value to be dispersed via ATM terminals, transport and replenishservice providers, and also the terminals per se and transactions andevents of related respective business surrounding the system, (b) meansassociated with each of selected persons or entities or groups of themand the ATMs for providing separate activity data files of each, (c)means establishing contract terms or other protocols inter-relating eachof said persons or entities with the ATMs and transactions andactivities, (d) means for controlling all allowable customertransactions and events of each ATM and terminal back up servicetransactions and events by the terms or other protocol, the system as awhole operating in parallel with but not dependent on the selection ofbank records or other customer-institution relationship, (e) means forgeneration of cash orders and replenishments for such terminals, and (f)means for generating a database of terminal events as needs andfulfillment.
 7. An ATM management system for enabling efficientoperations comprising, in combination, means for parsing the ATMbusiness transactions and management into an array of separatedata-carrying entities including terminal devices, proprietor(s),providers of cash or other value to be dispersed via ATM terminals,transport and replenish service providers, and also the terminals per seand transactions and events of related respective business surroundingthe system, the system as a whole operating in parallel with but notdependent on the selection of bank records or other customer-institutionrelationship, the system acting in response to authorizations andrejections but not interfering with such processes.
 8. The system ofclaim 7 including means for grouping ATMs and persons/entities as newpseudo entities incorporated in the database.